Showing posts with label NBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBC. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

7-9-08

Warner Brothers has announced they are developing an ElfQuest movie!!!!! Rawson Thurber will write, direct & produce. They haven't announced a format (live action or animation) yet. I have loved this story since I first read it about 27 years ago, so I'm thrilled the movie they've been talking about for years looks like it may finally happen. I just hope it ends up being a good adaptation. Links for coverage: Letter from Wendy Pini, Hollywood Reporter, Reuters, Empire, CanMag, CinemaBlend, IGN, Cinematical, and ElfQuest.com forum announcement.

MGM has given a greenlight to "A Cabin in the Woods", a movie co-written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard.

NBC has revealed their coverage plan for the Olympics. 75% of events will be televised live for the east coast.

NASA plans to retire the shuttles in 2010, even though the replacement spacecrafts won't be ready for 4 more years.

City of Pearl by Karen Traviss is available from Eos as a free ebook until the end of August. This is the start of a good series, so check it out if you haven't already. (Thanks to SF Signal for the info.)

The Campbell Memorial Award (In War Times by Kathleen Goonan) and Sturgeon Award winners (Finistera by David R. Moles and Tideline by Elizabeth Bear) have been announced. I think Finistera is overrated, but Tideline was excellent.

Apparently, Locus changed the way votes are counted for the Locus Awards after the ballots were cast. (They counted subscriber votes twice.) A lot of people are upset by this since it changed some of the winners.

Andre Norton's will has been challenged, leaving unpublished works on hold pending a resolution.

Popsci.com has a nice slideshow of Mars landscapes.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Roundup for 9-13-07 part 2

CNet article about using Torrents to watch TV now that networks (esp NBC) are making it harder to watch them legitimately.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9775271-46.html

NBC has put all their new pilots on Amazon for free download, and SF Signal is having a poll as to which genre show will be the first to die.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005632.html

Microsoft is trying to get BBC shows as downloads for the Xbox platform.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2412752.ece

Another argument-generating best list - this one is the top 100 women of genre film and television. What I've seen so far seems to at least consider a pretty wide spectrum.
http://www.pinkraygun.com/2007/09/11/top-100-women-of-genre-film-and-tv/

If looking at these photos of beautiful old libraries makes you drool, you too could be a book addict.

Red Dwarf videos have been put online here.

Interesting look at the 8 most common visions of the future in film and why they won't happen.

New free speculative fiction online here. Some new stuff as well as things that qualify for Project Gutenberg.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Roundup for 9-6-07

RIP Pavarotti. I remember listening to him sing so many times when I was a kid with Dad.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070906/ap_on_en_mu/pavarotti;_ylt=Av2JwfkqH0dHr2C14DzJtkKs0NUE

Alyssa Milano will be joining the cast of My Name is Earl.
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Earl-Charmed/800021729?rssDate=12345678

NBC is going to encore several of its shows on other channels it owns: Bionic Woman on SciFi, pilots on USA & Bravo. Heroes may encore on NBC itself on Saturdays, but unlike last season, there are no plans for any other network to show it.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7450

Two telescopes have confirmed the sighting of tiny building block galaxies.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/070906_toy_galaxies.html

Weird but true: Some eels have an extra set of teeth in their throat that reach up and pull food down.
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6807532

Designed to run for 3 months, the Mars rovers have been running for 3 years. (I'm used to things that work the other way round.) They just started up again after the end of dust storms that were blocking their solar panels.
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1211831261;fp;16;fpid;1

They've traced the origin of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Who would have thought there'd still be enough evidence after 160 million years?
http://www.physorg.com/news108218928.html

Australia is considering storing stem cells from their athletes to use to help them heal faster from injuries.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/stem-cell-bank-to-help-players-heal-quickly/2007/09/05/1188783320031.html

Rapid diagnostics using nanoparticles to detect viruses and cancers.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/19343/

Using lasers to kill viruses.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070905/139/6kddc.html

Networks are considering all sorts of weird strategies, including bringing cable shows to the networks, to fill the gap expected because of the potential writers strike in October.
http://www.afterellen.com/blog/roc/tv-writers-may-strike?comment=394509
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971074.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

Dianne Wiest will be joining Amy Sherman-Palladino's (Gilmore Girls creator) new show at midseason.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-wiestjezeljamescasting,0,5682511.story?track=rss

Oregon is testing ocean wave power generators. I like the potential for more power in less space than solar or wind without the bird endangerment of the windmills.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9772850-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Biomass fuel just took another step closer to becoming a reality.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9772651-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Roundup for 9-4-07

Not a surprise after the Royal Shakespeare announcement last week: Doctor Who season 5 will be delayed with the Christmas special in 2008 and 3 specials only for 2009. It still hasn't been decided if David Tennant will return for the delayed season or if they will recast.
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-nodoctorwhoin2009,0,1277392.story?track=rss
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070904/tv_nm/drwho_dc_1

Hugo awards were announced: Vernor Vinge won best novel, Naomi Novik won best new writer, Patrick Nielsen Hayden won best long form editor (new category), Pan's Labyrinth won best long from dramatic presentation, Steven Moffat won short form again for Doctor Who: The Girl in the Fireplace, David Langford won best fan writer for the 20th time (beating John Scalzi by 1 vote), etc.... I really like the look of the award - very appropriate for the first Japanese Worldcon.
http://www.thehugoawards.org/?p=134
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasirenadolce/sets/72157601844412169/?page=2
http://www.johnpicacio.com/2007/09/lou-johns-excellent-adventure.html
http://www.louanders.com/2007/09/lou-johns-unbogus-journey.html

Highlander complete series box set now available, and for the first time, they will also sell the box for people who already own the individual seasons.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7988

Robin of Sherwood set 2 (otherwise known as season 3 or the ones with Jason Connery) comes to DVD next month.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7986

Preview video for Star Trek TOS HD-hybrid dvd release. This includes some interviews and side-by-side comparisons of the restoration & changes.
http://us.f831.mail.yahoo.com/dc/launch?.rand=2rr8ks2m4gn8f

AT&T has found a way to make a fortune from parents. They have a plan that will allow parents to completely control their kids cell phone usage. I think schools may soon require this plan.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/04/BU03RTACJ.DTL&feed=rss.technology

Reject-free heart valve transplants grown from the patient's own stem cells in 6 weeks = cool new science.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=479481&in_page_id=1965

The 2009 Worldcon will be in Montreal and Neil Gaiman will be the guest of honor. How does this sound for a first non-US Worldcon?
http://www.anticipationsf.ca/

In 2 weeks, SciFi is going to have a Saturday movie that I will have to watch even if I am afraid of what they'll do with the story. It will be Highlander 5: The Source with Adrian Paul.
http://www.scifi.com/highlander5/

Nasty rumor for BSG fans. SciFi may split the final season over 2 years: 10 eps in 2008, the rest in 2009. As if the wait until 2008 isn't bad enough.
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/battlestar-galactica/rumor-battlestar-galactica-fin-10303.aspx

It looks like there will be a direct-to-dvd sequel to Dead Like Me, but Mandy Patinkin won't be in it, instead we'll get the guy who plays Desmond on Lost.
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/lost/lost-star-henry-ian-cusick-to-10302.aspx

Example of how crazy our world is: Environmentally friendly cars only being sold in 8 states and not advertised even there.
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024974

Pilots for new shows Chuck, Journeyman and Life will be available on a Blockbuster exclusive free dvd rental.
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070904nbc03

Roundup for 8-31-07

It sounds a bit like friends having a joke together, but Kristen Bell and Clark Duke from Greek say they are forming a band. Well, we know they both can sing, let's just hope they choose better lyrics than that "Darwin Lied" song from Greek (and not quite as absurd as Reefer Madness).
http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Kristen-Bell-Hero/800021347?rssDate=12345678
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/08/internet_tv_star_clark_duke_to_form.html#more

The skywatch alert for tonight is actually 830-9pm (much better than 130-6am for the eclipse). It is supposed to be a good time to see the Draco the Dragon constellation.
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/070831_ns_draco.html
However, there is another skywatch alert for early tomorrow morning: a rare meteor shower that could be amazing or could be a complete dud.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_6768311?source=rss

Robot Chicken on the Last Unicorn. This is so incredibly WRONG.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005567.html

Masi Oka commenting on the fact that Bittorrents were used to watch Heroes in France before the TV airdate.
http://torrentfreak.com/heroes-star-recognizes-benefits-of-bittorrent/

Great casting for the Royal Shakespeare Company, but potentially weird scheduling, delays or a new Doctor Who for season 5. David Tennant and Patrick Stewart are going to star in Hamlet next year. Afterwards, David Tennant will play in Love's Labor's Lost.
http://www.comicmix.com/news/2007/08/30/fanboy-meltdown-picard-meets-the-doctor/

XM Radio is going to start doing audio versions of classic books in 30-minute installments, starting with Fahrenheit 451. I don't know how many will be SF, but it probably doesn't matter since I don't have XM radio. :(
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-bkw-xmradiobooks30aug30,0,7607137.story?track=rss

Monday is the Kyle XY mid-season finale, and they promise it will answer some questions but have a cliffhanger. Of course.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43814

There are rumors of ANOTHER Dune movie. I think they've pretty much covered Dune, and I'd like to see them get to another book, but who knows.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=7&id=43792

Rumors are that, schedules permitting, Zoe Saldana will be the new Uhura.
http://trekmovie.com/?s=zoe+saldana&searchbutton=go%21

NASA images are going to be archived online by the Internet Archive. This includes non-digital images like the Apollo moon landings they will have to convert, films, videos, etc.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TECHBIT_SPACE_IMAGES?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Anne McCaffrey's website has added a chronological order list. We should double check our BookCat entries for series order.
http://www.annemccaffrey.net/2006-Pern-Reading-Order.pdf

Preliminary schedule for Atlantis shows no midseason break. Only 4 weeks off during the season for holidays. This is too amazing to be true, I'm sure they'll change their minds. Possible spoiler warning: there are TV Guide level descriptions of the first 8 episodes.
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/08/preliminary_schedule_for_iatlant.shtml

Reminder, if you are interested, TOR is podcasting from Worldcon in Japan (which started today).
http://www.tor-forge.com/podcasts

Interesting new science development for preventing nasty diseases:
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/08/28/discovery_might_render_viruses_harmless/1552/

Really good interview with John Scalzi.
http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/scalzi.html

Something I bet we all need: Top 10 Ways to Clean Your PC
http://lifehacker.com/software/lifehacker-top-10/top-10-ways-to-clean-up-your-pc-294189.php

NBC won't use ITunes for its shows. I hope they provide a good alternative if you miss an ep.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005573.html

Friday, August 10, 2007

8-10-07

They released info on the Jericho dvd set, and although the extras are pretty decent, it is the latest to fall to the "music has been changed" problem. You'd think they'd negotiate dvd rights along with broadcast rights when they picked the songs these days. :(
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7818

I thought this was already done, but HBO announced they have officially picked up the show True Blood, based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire (aka Sookie Stackhouse) books. Airdates still TBD.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43190
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-story-trueblookpickup,0,1915877.story?track=rss

Greg Grunberg is going to host NBC's special about their fall shows airing just about everywhere (every channel affiliated with them and online) over the next month. It might be worth checking out. The new NBC shows I currently consider worth a pilot are: Chuck, Journeyman, and Bionic Woman. Then there are their current shows I'm waiting for: Heroes, My Name is Earl, and Scrubs.
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=1&id=43191

The complete classic Doctor Who in 5 minutes on a YouTube clip. It amounts to about 2 seconds per episode, but it points out how few I've actually seen. They may be cheesy, but I want to watch more.
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005460.html

Live Science (of all strange places) has ranked the top 10 immortals. I'm not sure how they determined ranking, and I would have a hard time coming up with any they missed, but the list is kind of cute.
http://www.livescience.com/health/top10_immortals-1.html

There might actually be a space hotel by 2012. Cool.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070810/tc_nm/space_hotel_dc_3

On the cool technology front, CNet has photos of the MIT solar house construction competition.
http://news.com.com/2300-11392_3-6201572-1.html?tag=ne.gall.pg
http://news.com.com/Energy+geeks+compete+for+coolest+solar+home/2100-11392_3-6201743.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-20&subj=news