Persons Unknown followed the story of seven people who were abducted and placed in a seemingly abandoned town in the middle of nowhere. They wake up in a hotel with no knowledge of how or why they are there. The hotel, the streets of the town, and the other buildings are all filled with cameras and microphones. During the first few weeks of their captivity, they are subjected to psychological and physical stresses (torture). They also try to escape several times without success since the town is surrounded by some sort of impassable microwave energy wall. Once, they actually make it through the wall only for all of them to pass out, possibly due to an implant, and awaken back in the town.

The secondary plot follows Mark Renbe, a journalist and the ex-husband of one of the abductees, Janet Cooper. Renbe is attempting to find Janet to not only investigate the unusual circumstances of her disappearance but to also reunite her with their daughter, Megan. Another subplot involves Joe Tucker who at first seems to be an abductee like the other six people but is later revealed to be an agent of “The Program,” those responsible for the abductions and what is going on in the town.

Now that I’ve explained the important plot details, let me explain why I think the show failed in the end. Initially, the show was advertised as a mini-series event and that “All will be answered” at the end of the summer. The only thing that the show didn’t do was to provide answers, or at least the answers for which I wanted answers. 1) How did they decide who to abduct? 2) What is the purpose of “The Program? It has to be more than just finding individuals who show great promise. 3) What is The Program? 4) What’s going to happen to Kate Damatto and Ambassador Fairchild? Those are just a few of the questions that I have. These questions wouldn’t be so bad if I knew that there was going to be another season.

I will commend the writers for creating a show with an original premise. The series finally was a well written episode, if they were setting up more seasons. Am I supposed to just assume that The Program continues on? Why not go out with a bang and have the characters that we (the audience) grew to care about escape and somehow expose The Program, or find a way back to their lives, or even make new lives, instead of being stuck in a loop. Usually, when a series or mini-series comes to an end, there is closure. Fans of this show, however few there may be, won’t have any closure. The conspiracy continues and the plight of our characters isn’t changed. It would be like Battlestar Galactica ending after Crossroads Part 2 with the revelation of who the hidden cylons are. Or it would be like Lost ending after the fifth season finale The Incident when Ben kills Jacob, Ilana opens the metal crate to reveal Locke’s body, and Juliet smashes the nuclear core and detonates the bomb. You can’t end a series that you know is coming to an end with a cliff hanger and not expect people to be a little perturbed.

Maybe it was a case of the writers not knowing how to end the show, but that’s ridiculous. You knew going in that it was going to end. There really isn’t any excuse. I might have been happy with just showing Joe and Mark in a new town starting the cycle over again, but you also show me our original abductees (minus Joe) in a hotel built into a ship out at sea in the middle of nowhere (incidentally the ship is named Almas Perdidias which translates into Lost Souls). They are then told “Welcome to Level 2,” by a now sinister looking Night Manager. What the hell is Level 2? Why didn’t they just scrap this group like the normally would do? If The Program is trying something new, what exactly are they trying? The writers seem to have no problem with raising even more questions.

Maybe I’m being too hard and literal. I actually did like the show, and if there were going to be more seasons, I would watch. But the ending bothered me. I dislike false closure on my TV shows. Maybe this’ll spawn comic books or webisodes, or even some decent fan fiction. One can only hope.

Source: USA Weekend

Idris Elba who is most known for his role as Stringer Bell in The Wire is currently starring in Takers, a heist film opening this weekend.  He talked about Takers and Thor in USA Weekend.   Here is an excerpt from that interview:

You just finished your stint filming Thor as the Asgardian warrior Heimdall. How was that?
It was dope. It was an interesting genre of film to make. I had never done comic book stuff, so that was really great.

What was the coolest part?
Just the bigness of the show. It’s so epic, these huge sets were just amazing to look at. And they really pat attention to detail. When you read the comics, you see all the drawings, and to actually see them in real life, it’s like, “Whoa!”

Do you see yourself doing another superhero character or are you good with the crime dramas?
I have a deal with the Marvel Studios team, a four-picture commitment. I’m sure I’ll be back in something cool.

Looks like he’s going to be in more Marvel Entertainment films, but he didn’t spill the beans, or he may not know yet, about what role or roles Marvel has in store for him.  I know that many people like the idea of him playing T’Challa, the Black Panther.  He certainly has the gravitas and the acting chops to pull it off.  Read the rest of the interview here.

I admit that I can be more than a little negative about upcoming movies that look like bad ideas.  So, in order to do something different, I am going to write positive things about a movie which should be avoided at all cost.  I am going to give you 10 reasons I am going to go see Conan.

1.  Jason Momoa: I liked Jason Momoa’s character in Stargate: Atlantis.  If he plays Conan with the same amount of intensity that he played Ronin, then you can be sure he’s going to throw everything he has into the role.  I want to see him do well.  The Sci-Fi Fantasy genre could use a good young minority lead actor.

2.  Mickey Rourke: Mickey Rourke will most likely be cast as Conan’s dad.  This is  a good choice.  No one in Hollywood is as rugged and haggard looking as Rourke.  He’s been riding his success in the movie The Wrestler and has turned it into numerous upcoming roles, especially as Whiplash in the upcoming Iron Man sequel.  He’s a great actor, and is especially good at playing characters who aren’t necessarily evil, but have a skewed moral compass.

3.  Conan:  I am a fan of the character Conan.  Conan the Barbarian and Conan the Destroyer starring Arnold Schwarzenegger are a couple of my favorite movies.  It makes me happy to see a possibility that the franchise could be resurrected.  Conan the Cimmerian is one of the few comics I follow every month.  He’s a great character who often times finds a way to come out on top no matter the odds.  He’s relentless, unforgiving, and fears nothing.

4.  Arnold Schwarzenegger:  Just a whisper of a rumor that he could make an appearance in the movie.  That would be worth seeing it.

5.  I saw Pathfinder (Marcus Nispel director of Conan, also directed Pathfinder) and 10,000 B.C. in the theaters….If I can spend good movie theater money on them, I can do the same for Conan.

6.  Epic Fantasies are the reason I go to the movies.  And I believe that Conan is going to be an epic fantasy.  The interest level is so high for a Conan movie, and the studio has to be hoping for a franchise, so this has to be bigger than Pathfinder and 10,000 B.C.

7.  Bob Sapp. MMA star Bob Sapp is apparently cast as a villain according to /Film.  Sapp  was pretty impressive in the last match I saw him in.  So, the fight scenes will be good.  And it’ll keep him off the streets.

8.  It’ll be in 3-D more than likely, and I haven’t seen any 3-D movie in the theater, ever.  Not even Avatar.  Actually, when I was 11 I saw Starchaser: The Legend of Orin in 3-D, but I don’t count that. (at least I think I saw it in 3-D)

9.  Djimon Hounsou:  This movie will open up the possibility that the Thulsa  Doom movie starring and produced by Djimon Hounsou will become a reality. Thulsa Doom was an immortal sorcerer who was originally played by James Earl Jones in Conan the Barbarian.  He’s a prominent character in the comics and in.  According to Lobo, this movie will give us a chance to see an African culture that isn’t Egyptian in a movie.

Okay. I came up with 9.  It was an ambitious list to begin with.  Oh, and Conan the Cimmerian or Conan the Barbarian is a character created by Robert E. Howard.  There’s a really good movie called The Whole Wide World starring Vincent D’Onofrio as Howard.  Check it out.

Official Press Release from Wakanda Ministry of Tourism:

In a unprecedented move the Government of Wakanda is offering a few lucky souls the opportunity to visit the country of Wakanda.   In order to improve diplomatic relations with the rest of world,  King T’Challa and his Queen Ororo has order the issuance of several hundred visas to the country.   The decision reverses  the country pre colonial policy of closed borders.

King T'Challa and Queen Ororo welcoming visitors

To apply for visas please contact your nearest Wakanda  Embassy or Consulate.

Wakanda is located in equatorial Africa, it is surrounded by the nations of Narobia, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, and was named for its native inhabitants, the Wakandans. Wakanda is a nation of vast contrasts.  It has managed to maintain its tribal heritage and cultural and yet it  is one of the most technological nations on the planet

Geography

Mount Wakanda

No other country on earth can offer the visitor as much to see and do. Within the borders of a single country, you will find savannahs rich with big game, timeless cultures unchanged by the modern world, pristine beaches and coral reef, equatorial forests and mighty snow-capped mountains like Mount Kanda  and  Mount Wakanda, searing deserts and cool highland retreats.   You will also find the World most valuable natural resource the Vibranium Mound.  Wakanda offers endless opportunities for adventure, discovery, relaxation; more than you would ever expect

Climate

The Queen Changing the Weather

Generally the climate is warm and humid at the coast, cool and humid in the central highlands, and hot and dry in the north and east. Across most of the country, rainfall is strongly seasonal, although its pattern, timing and extent vary greatly from place to place and from year to year.  Rainfall peaks in most areas are in November and April.   Due to the recent union of King T’Challa and his Queen Ororo the weather has become even more pleasant thanks to our Queens weather controlling abilities.

Culture

Pather Cult Ceremony

From the prehistoric records of early man to the present day, Wakanda has been a land of unending change, contrasts and diversity.   Untouched by the influences of the outside world, it has develop its own unique culture. This is the nation’s greatest strength- the ability to blend the best of many worlds into a strong, singular identity.   Lead by its monarch King T’Challa head of the Panther Cult,  it has managed to balance tradition and technological advancement to become one of the worlds most powerful nations

Places to See

Vibranium Mound

Black Warrior Creek, Central Wakanda Palace, Charms of the Chilling Mist, Crystal Forest, Domain of the White Gorillas, Jabari village, Mount Kanda, Mount Wakanda, N’Jadaka village, Panther Island, Paradise Forest, Piranha Cove, Primitive Peaks, Resuraction Altar, River of Grace & Wisdom, Serphent Valley, T’Chaka Path, Techano-Jungle, Torment Forest, Tranquility Temple, Twisted Visions Lake, Vibranium Mound, Warrior Falls, Woods of Solitude

Source:  SciFi Wire

Tyrese Gibson is an actor, singer and producer who can now add "comic-book creator" to his ever-expanding resume: The first issue of his debut comic, Tyrese Gibson’s Mayhem, will be published in August by Image Comics.

I am intrigued by Gibson’s venture into the comic book realm.  I don’t know much about the book or the character, but the cover alone are enough for me to be interested.  If you aren’t convinced by that alone, read the SCI FI Wire’s exclusive phone interview with Gibson about the book.  I think we should all support him.

Read the original article and interview here at SCI FI Wire.

Source:  Sci-Fi Wire

Jasika Nicole plays Astrid Farnsworth on ABC’s Fringe.  Astrid is an FBI agent assigned to assist Walter Bishop in his lab.  Sci-Fi Wire has posted an interview with Jasika about plans for Astrid in season 2 of Fringe, now that Fox has renewed it.

Jasika Nicole, who plays Astrid Farnsworth on Fox’s sci-fi series Fringe, told SCI FI Wire that the show’s writers have promised to explore her character’s backstory in future episodes—though likely not before the end of the first season. Astrid is an FBI agent who works as Walter Bishop’s (John Noble) lab assistant and usually serves basic mechanical functions like hooking up electrodes and monitors.

"They’ve been working on that for a really long time, and they want to make sure that it’s perfect," Nicole said in a phone interview last week. "That’s why we haven’t seen it yet. So I’m hoping that it’s going to come in season two. We will not get that episode in season one, but I’m pretty sure that it will happen in season two, and I can’t wait to find out what’s in it, let me tell you."

Read the full interview at Sci-Fi Wire.

First posted 10-25-2007

I thought we should revisit the list.  If the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles or Dollhouse bites the dust, where would they  fit on this list?  What about Journeyman?  Life on Mars?  Eli Stone?  Pushing Daisies?  My Own Worst Enemy?  Stargate Atlantis?  Anyone else have any suggestions?

Let’s face it, we’ve all had television shows that we wish weren’t canceled. But for some reason, science fiction fans have been denied quality shows. Actually, we do know the reason: ratings. You can go to any science fiction convention and still find people getting together and having panel discussions about shows that have been long gone. It isn’t like these shows don’t have fans or even in some instances started out with good ratings. Many times the shows were killed when the network got greedy and wanted to move a show to take advantage of high ratings only to lose the audience, or moving a show to get higher ratings, and the low ratings the show had disappeared. Sometimes, budget, production problems, or conflicts between producers and studios sent shows to an early death. Here is a list of shows that we thought were pretty good and were canceled before their time. Be wary, there are spoilers ahead.

10. Batman Beyond

Even though it was on for three seasons, we should have been given more of this very well written animated series. Set forty years in the future, Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman and has forbidden his proteges, Batgirl, Nightwing, and Robin, from continuing their alter egos. Terry McGinnis, an athletic bad seed, and Bruce Wayne fend off the Jokerz at Wayne Manor. Wayne’s heart condition gets agitated and Terry helps him back into the house. Inside, McGinnis comes across the entrance to the bat cave and decides to come back later to borrow the bat-suit so he can seek revenge for his father’s death. Bruce Wayne eventually relented when he realized that Gotham needed the Bat and that Terry would be perfect.

The series is built on the relationship between McGinnis and Wayne, who guides Terry by communicating with him through the bat-suit, and serves as a father figure in Terry’s personal life. Which is ironic, because we later learn that Terry is genetically Bruce Wayne’s son. The show was so well received that it had cross-overs with Static Shock and Justice League Unlimited, and spawned a spin-off, The Zeta Project. Technically, the show wasn’t canceled; it was placed on hiatus to make way for the new Justice League series, though there hasn’t been any talk of bringing it back.

9. John Doe

“I woke up in an island off the coast of Seattle. I didn’t know how I got there … or who I was. But I did seem to know everything else. There were things about me I didn’t understand … the brand, being colorblind, extreme claustrophobia. And while my gifts provided answers for others, I still search for my own. My name is John Doe.”

The intro sums up the whole series. In the one and only season, we see John use his gift of knowing everything to help solve crimes. We also learn, though very little, about a secret organization called the Phoenix Organization. Aside from the rather mundane mix of CSI and Sherlock Holmes, the long story arc provided enough mystery to keep us entertained from week to week. The writers knew how to give us just a little bit of John’s story and purpose to get us to suffer through the crime solving. Whether this series would have made it past year 3 or 4 is a question we can’t really answer. But after finding out his best friend is the leader of the Phoenix Organization, season 2 would have been very interesting. Bouncing time slots and never gathering enough viewers brought this show to an end.

8. Millennium

Frank Black moved his wife a daughter to Seattle to get them away from the evil he saw everyday in his job as a profiler for the FBI. Frank wasn’t a psychic, but he did have the gift of viewing crimes through the minds of the killers. His visions allowed him to hunt down some of the worst serial killers TV writers could conjure up. Recognizing his talent, the Millennium Group recruited him. The organization was made up of former law enforcement individuals who consulted with law enforcement in criminal investigations.

The show started out as a straight crime drama but later evolved into the paranormal. (To be expected of something created by the man who brought us X-Files.) The show was well written. It gave a weekly serial feeling along with not one, but two long story arcs. The first story dealt with the serial killer sending Frank photos of Frank’s wife and daughter and Franks attempt to use his gift to find the killer, and the second story thread dealt with the true machinations of the Millennium Group. The show ended after three seasons and was wrapped up clumsily with a one shot episode cross-over with the X-Files that was supposed to wrap up a rather complicated storyline with the help of Mulder and Scully. Persistently low Friday night ratings brought this show to an end.

7. Miracles

Miracles followed a man who had been a priest who investigated reports of miracles for the Vatican. When he found out that the Vatican wasn’t interested in proving the truth of these miracles, he left to find his faith. Now, as a member of a group of people investigate miracles, Paul Callan becomes a miracle himself after being saved from death by a boy named Tommy. Paul sees the phrase “God is now here” in the boy’s blood. He’s informed that only six other people have seen this phrase, sometimes interpreted as “God is nowhere.” ABC only aired 6 episodes, so unless you have the complete 13 episodes on DVD, you’re not going to catch this one in syndication. I thought the show was well written, and if you watch the first episode you will be hooked. Despite the fact that 10 million people watched the premiere, ABC decided to change its time slot, not once, not twice, not three times, but four times, even sending it back to the original slot once. Let’s face it, humans are creatures of habit, and unfortunately 9 of those 10 million viewers never could find the show again. I even missed an episode because I couldn’t find it.

6. Dresden Files

Based on the popular novel series of the same name, Dresden Files was an original Sci-Fi channel show that lasted one 12-episode season. It was about a private detective who happens to be a wizard and uses magic to help solve crimes, usually of a paranormal kind. I really liked this show. It was a good companion show to Eureka. It was kind of cool seeing magic being used as an investigatory tool. (Charmed doesn’t count.) The stories were pretty good. The long story thread dealt with Harry Dresden’s culpability in his uncle’s death, and also his uncle’s role in the death of his parents. The minimalist effects were good. It didn’t take a lot of magic to move the stories along, and most of the magic use was practical. There was also hints of the politics of the Wizards Council which only added to the depth of the story. Don’t really know why Sci-Fi canceled this show. It had decent ratings for the network and a pretty good following (click here for the Drumstick campaign.) All is not lost however, it has been reported that the Dresden Files have been optioned as a graphic novel, for those of us who miss the TV show but don’t really want to read the novels.

5. Dark Angel

Dark Angel is the creation of film director James Cameron. It tells the story of Max (Jessica Alba) who is a genetically-enhanced human prototype hunted by her former military handlers through the edgy, underground street life version of 21st century America. Max is aided in her quest – both to avoid capture and reunite with her “siblings” scattered in the aftermath of their escape – by Logan Cale, an idealistic cyber-journalist battling repression and corruption in post-apocalypse. The show was a ratings hit for FOX on Tuesdays in its first season. For its second season it was moved to the graveyard called Fridays where shows seem to die very quickly. Fox justified this move saying that they wanted to improve the Friday night ratings and to open up Tuesday for the series “24″. Dark Angel’s ratings suffered to the point where its budget could longer be justified and it was replaced by another show on this list, Firefly. It would have been nice to see what the show would have become if it remained in its original time slot. Fox did a poll where viewers were asked what show would they like to see returned. Apparently, Dark Angel won beating out Tru Calling, Angel, Buffy and Futurama. However, Fox has not said whether or not the series will return.

4. Threshold

Threshold is about a secret government organization designed to not only hide possible alien invasions but to also stop them. The name comes from a plan design by Dr. Molly Caffrey, a high-level government crisis management consultant who creates contingency plans for emergency use. She never thought that her “just in case” idea of an alien invasion would ever come to fruition. Her plan called for putting together an elite diverse team capable of managing the situation. The appeal of the show lies more in the moral ambiguities of the main character and the rest of her team. In every episode they are faced with life or death decisions and are almost always making morally questionable judgments for the benefit of the majority.

The show was produced by Brannon Braga (Star Trek), David S. Goyer (Blade) and David Heyman (Harry Potter). The writing was good and the chemistry between the main characters was better than your average ensemble cast. Each episode was like a puzzle piece in a larger picture. Though the stories seemed to be self-contained, they almost always moved the long story thread. The show was canceled before the last four episodes of season one aired; however, you can get the complete series on DVD. The show had low ratings in its Friday night slot before the hit show Numb3rs, but rather than wait it out, CBS moved the show to Tuesday to boost ratings, a move that actually created even lower ratings. (Probably because people who were watching it couldn’t find it, or were already committed to a show on that night.)

3. Firefly

The show is set in the year 2517 A.D., following the depletion of Earth’s resources and an expansion of the human race into the frontier of outer space. The show takes its name from the “Firefly-class” star ship operated by the central characters; the ship’s class name is itself a reference to the appearance of the ship, whose tail section blinks during acceleration. Captain Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds is the veteran of a war of resistance against “The Alliance”—an organization that attempted to achieve the unification of all mankind under a single imperial government. A central “core” of planetary systems have fallen under Alliance control, while settlers and refugees in the farther reaches of space enjoy relative freedom from the long arm of the government but lack many of the amenities of a high-tech civilization. Mal now owns a small Firefly-class star ship called Serenity, making cargo runs and performing various other tasks—legal or otherwise—to scrape together a living for himself and his crew.

Sounds good doesn’t it? So, what happened? Fox handicapped this show from the start. IT marketed the show as drama/comedy instead of the drama that it was. The network also broadcast the show out order. What would have been the second episode became the premiere episode. Fox aired 10 episodes before it broadcast the two hour premiere episode (which gave the back-story of the characters and laid the foundation for the whole series). What should have been the premiere episode ended up being the series finale because FOX canceled the show after airing only 11 of the 14 filmed episodes. Firefly wouldn’t go away after cancellation. Its creator, Joss Whedon (of Buffy and Angel), managed to make a feature film called “Serenity” that was fairly successful.

2. Space: Above and Beyond

Space: Above and Beyond chronicled the ongoing war between the Humans and a mysterious alien race known as the Chigs. The war is the main arc and back drop for a plethora of smaller story arcs. One arc following the trials and tribulations of the United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry, 58th Squadron, or the “Wildcards.” Another arc followed the plight of the Invitros, the artificially created humans, also called “tanks,” as well as the Silicates, androids that rebelled against the humans and are now Chig mercenaries. We could also follow the political machinations of the new U.N. and the new united Earth forces. These are just a few of the story lines that demonstrate the depth of the story writing on the show. The strength of this show was its underlying motifs. The show encompassed subjects such as racism, prejudice, loyalty, sacrifice, revenge, and many other humanistic subjects and ideas, and they weren’t always related to war.

The military structure was much more rigid than in other shows such as Star Trek or Babylon 5. Considered one of the great science fiction shows of its time, Fox never gave the series a chance. The show had reached cult status and its popularity are evidenced by the fact that the second run on Sci-Fi had much higher ratings than the original run on Fox. Originally planned for a five season run, Space: Above and Beyond was canceled at the end of the first run. Fox killed this show by frequent time slot changes, preemption by sports broadcast, non-existent marketing, and just all around bad network management.

1. Babylon 5: The Crusade

This Babylon 5 spin-off starts just after the events of A Call to Arms, in which the Drakh infected Earth with a Nanovirus that will wipe out all life inside of five years. Captain Matthew Gideon is summoned to Mars, where he is to take command of the IAS Excalibur to begin a mission to find a cure for the Drakh Plague somewhere in the depths of space. Captain Gideon was handpicked to command the IAS Excalibur by ISA President John Sheridan, due to the fact that Gideon has proved that he is willing to take chances and would not let diplomacy interfere with completing his mission. The first challenge Gideon faced was assembling his crew; there was some reluctance about bringing Dureena Nafeel onto the crew as she was a member of the Thieves Guild; however, Gideon was able to get her on board. She then informed him of Galen. Galen met with Gideon on a planet, and after questioning Gideon, he agreed to join the crew. With his crew assembled, Gideon left in search of a cure.

This show had a lot of potential but never got a chance to live up to it. The show was going to follow a 5 year arc like Babylon 5. The series only lasted 13 episode before creative differences between its creator J. Michael Straczynski and the network TNT resulted in cancellation. The Sci-FI channel made attempted to pick the show up but couldn’t due to budget restraints. (Which is why all you people who bitch about wrestling on Sci-Fi need to get over it. Rasslin’, as we say in the South, brings in enough revenue to pay for other shows like Flash Gordon. OK, maybe that’s a bad example, but you get the point.) I really wanted to learn more about Galen and rest of the Technomages and to see the how they dealt with the Nanovirus. It’s a shame that TNT and JMS couldn’t find a way to make it work. I think we all missed out.

There are certain reference in geek subculture that we all get.  A week ago I was talking to a friend about Morris Chestnut being signed to star in the remake of the series “V.”  Her response:  “What’s that?”   Everyone who is a geek knows about “V” whether they watched it or not.  This isn’t a test, but it could be a rough measure of where you are on the geek scale.  Some are harder then others.  But for the most part, if you are a geek, then you’ll know the movies where these quotes originate.

1.  Open the podbay doors, HAL.

2. This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

3. I only have one rule. Everyone fights. No one quits. You don’t do your job, I’ll shoot you myself. You get me?

4.  We are the knights who say “Ni.”

5. Throughout human history, we have been dependent on machines to survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.

6.  Come with me, if you want to live.

7.  So say we all.

8.  I have looked into the eye of the island, and saw that it was beautiful.

9.  No. Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try.

10.  They don’t advertise for killers in the newspaper. That was my profession.

11.  Damn them.  Damn them all to hell.

12.  Where does he get those wonderful toys?

13.  I’m on Planet X looking for a dweeb who wears green fatigues. He wears glasses.

14. I know this sounds crazy, but ever since yesterday on the road, I’ve been seeing this shape. Shaving cream, pillows… Dammit! I know this. I know what this is! This means something. This is important.

15.  What’s happened to me? I must be dreaming. I feel like I can take out the world.

16.  Who’s the man? Huh? Who’s the man? Wait till I get another plane! I’m a line ya friends up right beside you! Where ya at, huh? Where ya at?

17.  It’s a robot.  Ash is a god damn robot.

18.  Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.

19.  Even though you’ve been raised as a human, you are not one of them. You have great powers, only some of which you have as yet discovered.

20. I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death.

Bonus:  How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn’t you say?

In a previous post, I said that Dualla was the 5th cylon.  I was wrong.  It has since been revealed that Ellen Tigh is the final cylon.  Point of fact, she was not even on my list of possible cylons.  I mean, how was I supposed to know that she would die and be resurrected?  Does it all make sense?  I don’t know.  She collaborated with the cylons on New Caprica.  Twice Saul has thought that she was dead.  However, I still hold out hope that there is something to Dualla.  I know she killed herself in “Sometimes a Good Notion” but that doesn’t mean she’s going to stay dead.  She was humming the song and she also seemed to have a connection to the doll that she found on Earth.  But back to Ellen.  Anyone who says that they saw it coming is lying.  But I will say that the whole story, or at least the part that has been revealed so far, by Anders is quite intriguing.  It raises many questions.  Who created the cylons that lived on Earth?  How did they come to leave Kobol and separate themselves from the other Tribes?  Were the skinjobs and the centurions created by the same person or people?

Next, I wanted to talk about the whole issue of Daniel, the seventh cylon.  Ellen Tigh talked about Daniel with John.  John corrupted Daniel and his whole line out of jealousy.  I think Daniel is Starbucks father.  I think Starbuck is a hybrid like  Hera.  At first I thought Starbuck was Daniel.  That somehow the corrupted  Daniels had survived and maybe the DNA corruption done by John  actually caused the Daniel line to change into a female, but that seems farfetched.  After watching “Someone to Watch Over Me” and seeing that Starbuck had “imagined” the piano player, it occurred to me that that could only be her father. 

Now, lets say that Daniel did not die when John destroyed or corrupted the line.  What if his programming survived John’s machinations and somehow  bouncing around everyone’s head.  I think he’s the Deus Ex Machina.  He’s in Baltar’s head.  He was giving Caprica Six and Roslin visions.  He played the song in the final five cylon’s head.  Think about it.  He has undone everything that John Cavil has tried to accomplish as it relates to the final five.  Who’s behind putting the song in the final five’s head?  It had to be Daniel.   Is it a coincidence that the visions stopped when Caprica Six got pregnant?  Could that have been Daniel trying to be reborn?  And visions return when the baby dies?  Who else could have been pushing Kara to help them find Earth?    When Kara was a child, in a flashback her father said that he too was an artist.  Ellen said that Daniel was an artist.  And now we know that he was also a musician.  It adds up to me.

Finally, I have a rant about that simp Tyrol.  Roslin told him not to listen to Boomer.  That she was basically a manipulative bitch.  And what happened?  She played on his feelings for her and she got Hera for Cavil, punked Helo, and beat Athena’s ass.  But is it really that possible that Tyrol could be so stupid. 

Spaceballs is considered a comedy classic.  I say it’s more of a cult classic, but it is also a sci-fi movie.  It was funny when I saw it as a kid, and as an adult, I still think it has some funny parts.  The scene where the black guys are coming the desert with a pick is just classic.

To me, The Running Man is one of Arnold’s great movies.  Okay, the movie might seem hookie to you, but where else would you find Yaphet Kotto, Maria Conchita Alonso, Richard Dawson, Jim Brown, Jesse Ventura, Mick Fleetwood and Dweezil Zappa all in a science fiction movie based on a book written by Steven King?

Source:  The Los Angeles Times

It’s being reported that talks have broken down between Samuel L. Jackson and Marvel about reprising his role as the one-eyed superspy and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.  To me, it sounds like these hard economic times are making the fledgling movie studio is tightening its budget (taking into account its breakdown of talks with Terrance Howard), especially with the slate of future movies that it has already announced.  Maybe Marvel thinks it can sell its movies just based on characters and fanboys alone.  But I hope they realize that mainstream consumers aren’t interested in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, but do want to see the actors they know in big action movies.

If this interests you, please read the L.A. Times article by Geoff Boucher.

They both started in 1966 and only a few months separated the the founding of the party and the publication of the issue.   Brian Cronin at Comic Book Resources has all the information. 

We have just elected the first African-American as President of the United States.  And this is my blog, so I can talk about it if I want to.  What is amazing to me as a geek is the fact that President-elect Obama took advantage of what we on the net call new media to not only raise an incredible amount of money and to increase the excite and participation of more young people in the electoral process.  Obama was not the first candidate to take advantage of new media.  Gov. Howard Dean saw the future of the role of the internet and that almost got him the nomination.  Ron Paul’s entire candidacy was driven by the web.  But President-elect Obama was the first candidate to not only use Myspace as a tool to reach people, but he also was all over Facebook.  He has the most twitter followers, a total of 112,000.  That’s more than the number 2 and 3 person combined. 

He also had his on podcast, at least until he was seriously involved in campaigning.  He even had his on social network on his campaign website.   People who joined moveon.org, or donated money were inundated with a barrage of emails and text message updates over the last year.  There was an iPhone application.  Will.I.Am. has over 12 million hits on his “Yes We Can” music video on Youtube.  There are nearly 2000 videos on Obama’s Youtube Channel.  Now you can even order a music cd commemorating his victory.  All this to say is that we have a President who understands new media. A President who knows more than just how to use “The Google,”  who knows how important the internet in this new age. He supports net neutrality.  He also talks about clean energy and how important technological advances are to energy independence.  If you want to know his technology platform you can read excerpts here. 

President-elect Obama has already shown us that the demographics of this country are changing.  He has shown us that our society is shifting in a new direction.  But what’s most important is that he understands that technology is not just something to entertain us, but it’s the key to the future.

Source: Blackvoices

Have you ever read somthing that was so ignorant and derogatory,  that you don’t what to say or how to address it.   Well if  you haven’t here it is.   I don’t know if this is a bad attempt at humor or just a really bad list by a ignorant person.   

If this list where on another site people would call it racist for putting Handiman at number one.   Since its on Black Voices we are suppose to over look that fact.  Somtimes we are our own worse enemy.

I saw The Happening around the same time I saw The Incredible Hulk, but chose to not do a quick review at the time. Now that I’ve had time to process the movie, I feel like I have to say something about it. There is nothing wrong with a director doing a message movie. But to me, the mark of a good director and writer, which Shayamalan is both, is the ability to convey your message subtly. There are subjects that as a viewing public, in my opinion, that we can deal with being slapped in the face with. Those would be topics like racism, sexism, child abuse and rape. Environmentalism is a serious subject no doubt, but for the most part everyone cares about the environment. But to me, its one of those things that if you’re going to make a horror movie about, you’ve got to shock us or be more creative. There are hundreds maybe thousands of movies about the danger of our advancing technology. Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Philip K. Dick and Michael Critchton (I can’t believe I put him in the same sentence with those giants of science fiction) made careers out of warning us about how great and terrifying technology can be, but they didn’t sacrifice good story telling just to make their point. Simply having people drop dead from toxins released by plants is not going to cut it.

I just heard an interview with M. Night Shayamalan and he had the audacity to not only compare his movie and story in one breath to The Birds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Night of the Living Dead. He says the goal was to create a “B-Science fiction movie about a subject, where you have a great ride, you jump and you’re scared, crying and you do all those things as an audience member, and then at the end, the themes of the movie have you thinking of something a little deeper.”

The thing is that to me those movies dealt with those underlying issues in a more subtle way. (And honestly, I have no clue what the underlying theme of the Birds was) His movie was an in your face message movie. I don’t have a problem with that, but I do have a problem with him thinking that his film making is anywhere near the caliber of the other directors and writers of the movies that he mentioned. His movie is more like Spike Lee, a message. We can argue of the execution of getting his message across, but I have seen Hitchcock movies, and Shayamalan is no Hitchcock, despite what he thinks.

And unfortunately for him, if The Happening had been done by a first time director, many people would have been okay with it, but Shayamalan’s success means that we have come to expect better than average for him, and soon his credit from his early successes are going to run out, and he’s going to have a hard time getting anyone to come to his movies. Between Shayamalan and Tim Story (director of Fantastic Four and Rise of the Silver Surfer), minority directors are going to be told to stay away for Science Fiction.

I said before and I have told people not to waste time seeing it, but I think I’ve changed my mind.  I am not going to tell people not to see the movie, but just be aware when you go into it that there are no surprises, there is nothing being hidden from you, nothing to figure out, and there is nothing unexpected happening, no pun intended.

source: TPMCAFE

The episode entitled “Hero” marked the return of Pete Ross (played by Sam Jones III) to Smallville.  The story revolved around Pete gaining a superpower and then getting on his high horse and telling Clark that he wasn’t going to be like him and not keep his “gift” a secret.   On paper, the story’s a fairly good idea.  But, the best laid plans of mice and white men oft go awry.  WIthout going into a litany of powers that white male “meteor freaks,” were endowed with, let’s just say that it seems as Pete got leftovers.  

Pete “Stretchy Man” Ross.  You are asking yourself what’s wrong with being stretchy?  I’ll give them that Plastic Man and Elongated Man are cult favorites of fans of the Justice League B Team, and let’s not forget the ever popular Reed “Mr. Fantastic” Richards of the Fantastic Four.  But come on people!!!  Why you giving the only black man on your show some lame ass power?!?!  Sweet Christmas!!!  Hopefully, he’s done.  I was so distracted by the lame ass power that I didn’t even pay attention to the subplot that was moving along the long story arc. 

It’s not bad enough that the show has been white washed, but to bring Pete back with this lame ass power goes to show you that the writers on the show have completely lost touch with reality.  At least in the comic book world, African American characters are treated with more respect.  Honestly, I have never liked Pete Ross’s character on the show, but it was okay since it added diversity to the show.  But maybe I’m overlooking the main point.  Television has been white washed.  Name a major network that has a show with more than two African American characters.

Will Smith was immortalized at Grauman’s Chinese Theater on Monday.  I make it no secret that I think Will is the premiere genre actor of this generation, as well as being a box office Midas.

If you are interested, you can see his acceptance speech HERE.

Will Smith: Blackgeekdom Hall of Fame Inductee

 Here’s an interesting blog post I found on the Informed Reader Blog at Wall Street Journal Online about African-Americans creating a space in the white dominated world science fiction and fantasy.

It also includes a link to an excerpt from “The Comet” by W.E.B Dubois.

http://blogs.wsj.com/informedreader/2007/07/31/697/

The only commentary that I have is that what’s being written represents the writers.  The more African American writers there are, the larger our presence will be.  But the other problem is that there doesn’t seem to be an interest in the African-American community in science-fiction and fantasy.  Whether that is a result of there not being many writers, I don’t really know.   I would tend to think that is the case.

This is a great article. I think it really gives some insight into “Fanboys”. Now I only wish they would give the Fanboys who tend to look more like Lando than Legolas (if you know what I mean) their props. Translation everybody at your con doesn’t like Heavy Metal or Folk Music. Can we get a little diversity? People do listen to other things besides Metallica, Gwar, or Enya (although the sample used in “Ready or Not’ by the Fugees was tight) to name a few. Can we please get get some Wu Tang (Hell they even have a comic) or some Jay-z at a Con. On second thought. Don’t worry about. I’m just venting. Just read the article its pretty good

Who is Fanboy?

And more importantly, what does he want with Hollywood?

Studio executives know he’s out there, somewhere. Stealing scripts. Pirating films. Firing off reviews before a movie opens. Befriending Snakes on a Plane on the Internet, only to crush it in theaters. Quietly marshaling forces behind 300 to make it the surprise hit of the year.

For all the alter egos and caped conventioneers who will populate this weekend’s Comic-Con gathering in San Diego, only Fanboy’s true identity gnaws at the movie honchos who annually prowl the nation’s largest comic-book convention looking for the next pop hit.

Each year, the suits follow his trail, trying to determine what Fanboy will champion, defend or vanquish. Usually, they come back empty-handed.

“I know he’s real, because he makes my job harder,” says Marvin Levy of DreamWorks, which had the geek smash Transformers. “But trying to figure out who he is and what he wants to see will keep you up at night.”

It could be a long weekend, then, for the execs who will again try to gauge the taste of the fanboy — the moniker of legions of rabid pop-culture consumers devoted to their podcasts, MySpace pages and nerd-friendly movies. Sometimes.

“It’s impossible to really cater to fanboys, because they’re passionate about so many genres,” says Zack Snyder, director of 300. “You have to be really careful making movies for them, because they don’t like the stink of Hollywood on them. And if your movie is bad, you’re dead.”

To be sure, fanboys (and, to a lesser degree, fangirls) are changing the way Hollywood does business.

Studios are hiring marketers just to monitor movie fan sites. If a screenplay is leaked onto the Internet — once an offense that could land the culprit in jail — studios now find themselves asking fans what they think of the stolen goods. And if fanboys still don’t like the script, it gets reworked.

There’s good reason to court — and fear — the elusive demographic. While their full numbers remain unclear, Internet and comic devotees can add $25 million to $50 million to a movie’s box office take, according to some estimates

How’s this for respect: Fanboy is getting his own flick. Fanboys, a comedy about four young men who try to break into the Skywalker Ranch to see an early version of Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace, opens next year and will get its push — where else? — at Comic-Con. Other films, including Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, will get early peeks and star appearances to persuade Fanboy to join the cause.

“They’ve created a whole new world for people to be heard,” says comedian and actor Dane Cook, who rose to fame on the shoulders of Internet fans. “But they’re not easy to define, and they’re hard to read. You’re either a god, or you’re scum. If you’re uncertain about who you are or what you’re doing, they’ll screw you up even more.”

Indeed, studio execs concede they’ve made little progress in cracking Fanboy’s identity.

He doesn’t frequent malls much, so he’s impervious to the ultimate studio weapon, the tracking-poll questionnaire. He blogs, texts and instant-messages obsessively but usually under a pseudonym. He is slavishly devoted to his superhero of choice but will turn on him if he goes too Hollywood.

His tastes can be obscure. “You know the movie they quote me most often?” says Matt Damon. “Not the Bourne movies. Not Oceans. But Rounders. I can’t figure it out.”

And Fanboy’s got disposable income. Lots of it. For Xbox, iPhones, comic books — and movies that studio execs still can’t figure out.

Fanboy, says Fantastic Four star Jessica Alba, is a little like pornography. You can’t define him, but you know him when you see him.

“A fanboy doesn’t ask me for a picture or for a date,” Alba says. “He wants to know what it’s like to meet Victor Von Doom. It’s a little strange, but cute.”

The force of Fanboy

Fanboy, say those who know him, was born in the mid-1970s in Marin County near San Francisco.

Conceived by George Lucas, the fanboy emerged from the fringe of basement comic-book swap meets and poorly attended sci-fi conventions to become a force at the box office when Star Wars hit the big screen in 1977.

“They became part of the mainstream then,” says Fanboys director Kyle Newman. “There had been Star Trek fans, but Star Wars made studios respect sci-fi and showed them that the community wasn’t as small as they thought.”

More fantasy and science-fiction fare followed: Blade Runner, the Alien franchise.

But it wasn’t until the Internet that fanboys began exercising clout.

“I think the Internet galvanized the community,” says Amy Powell, a vice president of interactive marketing for Paramount. “Fanboys tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves, and the Web allowed them to communicate, rally behind a movie, see how big their numbers clearly were.”

But if the numbers are clear, fanboys’ tastes are not. Where studios once went to shopping malls and made blind phone calls, they now are monitoring a half-dozen movie fan sites that get as much traffic as mainstream news sites.

Powell says a handful of film sites have become the new tastemakers in Hollywood, including DarkHorizons.com, ComingSoon.net, joblo.com and, of course, AintItCoolNews.com, which she calls “the grandfather of the movie sites.”

“If you can get a sense of what’s happening on those sites, you’ll know if your movie has buzz,” she says. “Usually. Sometimes.”

Ain’tItCool’s Harry Knowles says he understands the studios’ frustration in identifying fanboys. (He sometimes acts as a consultant for film executives.)

But he says some studios still aren’t beyond the stereotype of Fanboy: a kid who lives at home and whose social circle consists of Dungeons & Dragons opponents.

Nor have studios learned the language of fanboys, he says.

“They didn’t realize that the fanboys were making fun of Snakes on a Plane, not saying they’d go see it,” Knowles says of last year’s camp film that was considered a box office flop with $34 million.

“Just because the Net is talking about your movie doesn’t mean it’s good,” he says. “You have to pay attention to what’s being said, and who is saying it.”

So who is saying it?

Knowles and others offer a rough sketch of Fanboy:

•Male. Typically 18 to 36. “He has a 9-to-5 job,” Knowles says. “Maybe a family. He’s a stable guy.”

•A gamer. “He still likes his toys, video games, computers,” 300‘s Snyder says. “He may be an adult, but he hasn’t completely grown up.”

•An “early adopter.” “He’s on iTunes on Tuesday, the comic book store on Wednesday and the movies on Friday,” Knowles says. “He’s first in line for the new thing.”

•A skeptic. “He’s enthusiastic at the mere prospect of something he loves being brought to the screen,” says Kevin Feige, head of production for Marvel Studios, which has translated dozens of comic books to movies. “But he’s cynical until he sees the goods. He’s been burned the past 20 years with movies that aren’t faithful to the source material he loves.”

Fanboy is a thief, Knowles says.

Despite protestations from most movie fan sites not to leak scripts or pirate films, “the truth is they will read a script early,” Knowles says. “They’ll watch a movie once in theaters, then get their hands on a pirated DVD to watch at home. Fanboy likes to get his toys first.”

Transformers was a hot property. Last year, after the first 70 pages of Transformers leaked onto the Internet, fanboys were livid. Their beef: The movie included humans.

Instead of making an example of the pirate who leaked the movie (no one has been identified), Paramount Pictures made the risky decision to host a question-and-answer session on the Transformers website so the writers could bargain with fans.

‘Like a hostage negotiation’

“It was like a hostage negotiation,” says co-writer Roberto Orci. “There were certain things we couldn’t mention on the Web, like that any decision was a marketing one. That would have made them angry. The script was already out there, so we weren’t getting it back. All we could do was explain ourselves and hope they’d be kind.”

They were. Transformers has taken in $263 million so far.

But that still doesn’t do much to help studio execs find out exactly who these people are and why they’ll turn a critically panned franchise such as Fantastic Four into box office gold or the critical darling Grindhouse into ground chuck.

“In the final analysis, the answer is, we don’t have the answer,” says Bert Livingston of 20th Century Fox, which distributed Fantastic Four.

“They need their movies to be treated a certain way,” Livingston says. “We don’t know exactly what way that is. There are a ton of these fanboys. We don’t know exactly who they are.”

And asking who is Fanboy is a little like asking who is Spartacus.

“I am Fanboy,” says Transformers‘ Shia LaBeouf.. “I post as many comments as anyone on AintItCool.”

“I’m Fanboy,” says comedian Cook. “I was just on the Net reading a debate about who could beat up the other: Batman or Superman.” Cook won’t say how he voted.

“I am Fanboy,” argues Tobin Bell, who plays the villain Jigsaw in the Saw franchise. “Just because I act in horror movies doesn’t mean I’m not a huge fan of them, too.”

“Well, I’m not Fanboy,” Alba says. “But he’s saved a couple of my movies. So whoever he is, I’m glad he’s out there.”

Contributing: Luz Elena Avitia

Are you a fanboy? Tell us why. Know and love a fanboy? Share your stories below.

What do Worf, Son of Mog, Benjamin Sisco, Tyr Anasazi, and D.L. Hawkins all have in common? Obviously from the title they are all single dads trying to make their way in the world. (I know that Worf is a Klingon, but for my argument he’ll do) Is there a reason that sci-fi writers continue to do this? Is that how they view the black family? Are there some intrinsic qualities in being a single dad in a sci-fi universe?

I’ll be the first to say that each of them are arguably some of the coolest characters in their respective stories. But don’t you find it strange that so many of them are single dads? I know what you may be thinking. Is it such a bad thing? They are taking care of their responsibilities. What about a unified family?

Look at the bigger picture. Science-fiction writers seem to have no place for complete families. They are few and far between. Men are characterized as womanizers or they just can’t seem to find the right woman. Take Geordi La Forge. He fell in love with a hologram. Who can we hold up as good examples? The Petrellis? One’s an emotional wreck and the other had a child out of wedlock. The Skywalkers? Anakin ruined that family. Aren’t writers creative enough to have internal and external conflicts that don’t involve the family?

Surfing the internet as we are proned to do, I found an interesting website about Black Women in Science Fiction. I can’t tell when the last time the site was updated, but I found the list…curious.

Less than 9% of Science-Fiction television series have featured black women as main characters. And that is assuming you were to count recurring characters who were usually tossed in the background

Without taking time out to do the math, the number seems to be accurate enough; however, a more thorough study would be helpful. The main problem is that science-fiction writers are no different then writers in any genre. They write about things that reflect who they are, whether they do it consciously or not is another disscussion for another time. Of course, George Lucas cast Billy Dee Williams, but was there anyone cooler and more suave than him at the time who could play that character? Rick Berman cast Avery Brooks, but how could you not cast a great talent such as he. Keith Hamilton Cobb was perfect as Tyr, but do you remember seeing any other Nietzscheans that looked like him?

Back to the topic. Most of your science-fiction writers are white just like most other genres. Majority of the audience is white. So, it makes sense that things are the way they are. The only genre that gets it is the comic book genre. Characters of every minority are represented on every level and thoughout all types of comics. There are writers, artists, and charaters. Why is there such a disparity? Maybe the television and movie industry should focus on better stories and less on making sure they hit the right racial demographic. Generally, the average science fiction fan doesn’t care about race.