Re: [scifinoir2] Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
In a message dated 3/5/2008 11:30:03 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Well, I see wardrobes on sale all the time, but I get your point. I read a while ago how the original title Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone had to be changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for American readers. The publisher was concerned--rightfully, I guess--that Americans didn't know what a Philosopher's Stone was. That's sad though: if we could get used to absorbing other cultures more, we'd be the better for it. I used to watch Monty Python when I was only ten years old, and many of the cultural references escaped me then. But my trying to understand them helped me in the long run. Ah well, that's America for you I used to watch Are you being Served? I also picked up a lot from Masterpiece Theater. I understand perfectly. **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
In a message dated 3/5/2008 11:30:28 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: yet Americans can't do the same with theirs. One can figure out what a lorrie or lift is from the context of what's being discussed. But that's egocentric America for you... yeah. **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] New Amsterdam Thoughts
In a message dated 3/5/2008 11:30:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: you mentioned the bad guys never win in scifi, but isn't that the way of most fiction, especially that produced in America? It's about the battle of good versus evil, and good always wins. I hate that good always win attitude. However it is worse in fantasy/sci fi because the stories are so good. The hero is so bad and justifies murder because he is doing good. Why didn't you like Ritchie in Highlander? He became the annoying sidekick. I wish he was allowed to develop and grow up. He was written as a spoiled brat after a while. HE was the annoying America to Mac. The lady playing a Latina on New Amsterdam is in actuality part Burmese, Indian, Persian, and English. So of course she was cast as a Latina! She was in The Namesake, playing a love interest of star Kal Penn. Good movie, by the way. I never heard of that movie. What is her name? **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Bush Lets Red Phone Go to Voicemail
Talk about phoning it in... 8-O Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: March 3, 2008 Bush Says He Lets Red Phone Go Straight to Voicemail Baffled By Clinton Campaign Ads, President Says President George W. Bush commented on Sen. Hillary Clintons controversial red phone campaign ads at the White House today, telling reporters, When that red phone rings, I just let it go straight to voicemail. Mr. Bush rarely comments about the Democratic presidential contest, but he said that he had to speak up about Sen. Clintons red phone ads because he found them so confusing. If I answered the red phone every time it rang, I would never get any sleep, Mr. Bush said. Sometimes it starts ringing at 9 PM, and I am already tucked in by then. Mr. Bush said that theres nothing so important that it cant wait until tomorrow, or whenever I remember to check my voicemail. In a rebuke of Sen. Clinton, Mr. Bush added, If she doesnt know about letting your calls go straight to voicemail, I dont think she has the experience to be president. Campaigning in Houston, former President Bill Clinton took issue with Mr. Bushs remarks, telling reporters, When I get a call at 3 AM, I always pick up, if you know what I mean. Pressed to explain exactly what he meant, the former president said, Three oclock in the morning come on! Odds are were talking about a booty call. Shortly after his booty call remark, the Clinton campaign said that they were revising the former presidents itinerary to focus on states that had already voted in February. Elsewhere, Sen. John McCain released a new series of campaign ads, showing him answering a telegraph key at 3 A.M. www.borowitzreport.com Waste Someone's Time: Forward to a Friend: http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=OF47XnuYT210403ecd0a[EMAIL PROTECTED]rec=6840 Sign up today for your own Borowitz Reports, click the link below or paste it into your browser. http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=dEz6qdJ8aG10403ecd0a ***Andy in Montreal April 8*** Andy makes his first-ever appearance in Canada on Tuesday, April 8 at the Jewish Public Library in Montreal. 7:30 PM, 5151 Côte Ste-Catherine; admission free. ***Andys Only West Coast Appearance April 24*** Andy makes his only scheduled West Coast appearance Thursday, April 24 at University of California, Santa Barbara. 8 PM at Campbell Hall. Tickets available at http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=yJqJg46lHM10403ecd0a ***Andy with Susie Essman and Jeffrey Toobin May 13*** Andy hosts Countdown to '08 on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM at the 92nd St. Y with his special guests Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jeffrey Toobin (CNN, bestselling author of The Nine). The Y is located at 92nd St. and Lexington Avenue. For tickets, go to www.92y.org. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You may unsubscribe from this list by visiting the following URL in your browser: http://list-manage.com/unsub.phtml?id=TRXntMtPu4c10403ecd0a Yahoo! Groups Links There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
They tried an Americanized Dr. Who. Or rather a pilot for a British/American sponsored Dr. Who. The pilot was rightly panned. It made Dr. Who too human. (On one of the Dr Who DVDs, they didn't even include that as one of the regenerations. That's how much they think of the show.) The Treatment is based on an Israeli drama. It is 30 minutes long and I think all of the episodes are on HBO.com Every night, you see a psychiatrist session with a different patient. 4 nights with his patients and Friday night as he meets with his own therapist. In watching the credits, I see that the Israeli director came over to HBO, and the stories are based on actual episodes so maybe that is why it translated better. And it's on HBO. No need to compromise because of network standards. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I can see in some cases where there are sexual or cultural things that Americans might find offensive. But even then, is that so often, and wouldn't simple editing or omission of some whole eps suffice? I too often find the original British product superiour. If nothing else, it's a different take, and i like that. For example, I'm sure an Americanized Dr Who could be done that's exciting and all that, but the British accents, attitudes, cultural references, etc. are much more interesting to me. What's The Treatment? -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] So that they can replace the lead actress with a blond, of course. Seriously, so many of the dramatic remakes are worse and don't last long. The comedies seem to make it, but I would imagine--as someone has mentioned--that the comedies do a major rewrite in order to match U.S. comedy styles. That said, I am absolutely hooked on The Treatment. And it comes on at such an odd time. Often, I have to stay up later and catch the rerun because it comes on in the middle of our prime time. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Gymfig@ wrote: In a message dated 3/5/2008 9:19:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, KeithBJohnson@ writes: What is it so that British and other foreign audiences will often watch original American shows, but American TV so often remakes foreign shows with American actors, rather than just buy and air the original product? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
As I've said before, writing is where the Brits win and Americans lose, TV-wise.Brit productions tend to stick with a set group of writers, who are better able to maintain character and story continuity, in stark comparison with American shows, who employ a stable of writers whose styles and visions vary widely and wildly. Add in the American penchant for using guest stars and geust writers, and that cna upset the tone of a show even more. For example, I remember one season of The X-Files in which eps were penned by Stephen King and William Gibson. People I knew at the time who were fans of the authors watched those eps and were pleased, but admitted that they normally wouldn't have watched the show, were their favorite authors not involved. The same may apply to favorite actors as well. No data on that. maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: So that they can replace the lead actress with a blond, of course. Seriously, so many of the dramatic remakes are worse and don't last long. The comedies seem to make it, but I would imagine--as someone has mentioned--that the comedies do a major rewrite in order to match U.S. comedy styles. That said, I am absolutely hooked on The Treatment. And it comes on at such an odd time. Often, I have to stay up later and catch the rerun because it comes on in the middle of our prime time. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In a message dated 3/5/2008 9:19:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: What is it so that British and other foreign audiences will often watch original American shows, but American TV so often remakes foreign shows with American actors, rather than just buy and air the original product? There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Huge Changes Coming To 'Doctor Who,' 'Torchwood'?
This is SyFyPortal talking, so I take this with roughly the same caution I take words from The Sun. The Tennant's leaving bit is close to a year old now, and he doesn't even deny the possibility anymore. DW can survive without him. As for Torchwood without Barrowman, I doubt it would fly. The show's invested too much of its identity into Captain Jack. Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm sure i will adapt, but it seems to me that they built the show around Harkness. Barrowman is a hard act to follow. As much as I like Martha Jones, I believe the show that is left will be a shell of what it was . It is too bad. I think the new season is much better than the first season. ravenadal wrote: As someone who thinks Naoko Mori is hot and Captain Harkness is a hoot, suspenders and all, I am not at all excited by this news. ~(no)rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: By MICHAEL HINMAN Source: Sci Fi Pulse Mar-04-2008 This story contains possible MAJOR SPOILERS for upcoming seasons of Doctor Who and Torchwood. This story also contains rumors that have not been independently corroborated by SyFy Portal, so treat them as you would any rumor. Like Torchwood the way it is now? Like its original source show, Doctor Who? Well get ready for some changes. Despite the fact that Doctor Who and Torchwood remain two of the most-watched scripted programs on British television, it appears that BBC is getting ready to make some wholesale changes to both shows, including the replacement of both stars. According to Dr. Phibes, a source for British genre site Sci-Fi Pulse, both David Tennant and John Barrowman are set to leave their respective programs, along with a number of other cast members. Tennant, who is about to premiere in the show's fourth season on BBC later this spring, will apparently work through the 2009 specials leading up to the annual Christmas episode, where he will regenerate and be replaced by another actor. According to Sci-Fi Pulse, filming for the Doctor Who specials in 2009 is already under way, with a wrap planned for as early as the end of this month. While Carlyle is not signed to play the role as the 11th Doctor, Dr. Phibes says that the BBC is in negotiations to sign the actor. It won't just be Doctor Who getting a makeover, however. Remember that experiment BBC Two was doing where it was watering down episodes of Torchwood to make it more family friendly? If Dr. Phibes is correct, then it seems that they were warming up audiences to a new version of the show which will launch in the third season. So far, only five episodes have been commissioned out of the standard 13, and gone are actors Burn Gorman (Owen Harper), Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato) and Capt. Jack Harkness' John Barrowman. In, however, is former Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman, who will join the show full-time in Season 3. Eve Myles, who plays Gwen Cooper, is expected to return as well, and Barrowman is reported to be making guest appearances in the third season. The show itself will lose some of its adult-themed content, and will be geared more toward Doctor Who style audiences. The goal is not to have two different series running at the same time, but instead to work as sort of a filler series for off periods of Doctor Who, which only films a handful of episodes each year. With the changes, Torchwood will move to a Saturday timeslot where Doctor Who currently airs. If true, these would be some very significant changes to the Whoniverse by BBC, and a bit head-scratching as ratings for both shows in their current formats have been phenomenal. Sci-Fi Pulse stands behind its source on this, saying he has been accurate in his reports in the past, but even that site warns this is nothing more than rumor, and should be treated as such. Torchwood is currently airing on BBC Two and BBC America, while Doctor Who is preparing to premiere its fourth season in the spring. http://www.syfyportal.com/news424775.html Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man
Re: [scifinoir2] SNK Drops Comedy Format for Endorsement Format
(looking about, puzzled expression etched on face) SNL *had* a comedy format? Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: March 5, 2008 Saturday Night Live Abandons Comedy Format to Focus on Endorsements Change in Mission for Venerable Late Night Show Basking in the success of its endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clintons candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, NBCs late night warhorse Saturday Night Live announced today that it would abandon comedy to embrace its new role as a political kingmaker. Lorne Michaels, executive producer of the venerable late night show, said that the election returns from Tuesday night were enough to convince him that the show should stay away from comedy altogether and focus its energies on making political endorsements. We want to be able to do one thing well, Mr. Michaels said. And if its a choice between doing comedy and choosing the next President of the United States, were going to drop the comedy part. Mr. Michaels said that the decision to get out of the comedy business and move towards full-time political endorsing should come as no surprise to its viewers: Weve been gradually moving away from comedy for years. The Emmy-winning producer added that NBC viewers who are disappointed by his shows format change and want to look elsewhere for laughs can always watch Tim Russert. Arguing that fans of the show will ultimately be delighted by its new mission, the late night pioneer touted what he called a really exciting lineup of future guest hosts leading up to the Pennsylvania primary: Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and musical guest George S. Clinton. Elsewhere, presumptive GOP nominee John McCain accepted a congratulatory call from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and then immediately changed his phone number. www.borowitzreport.com Waste Someone's Time: Forward to a Friend: http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=mIyh2HDJKq10403ecd0a[EMAIL PROTECTED]rec=6841 Sign up today for your own Borowitz Reports, click the link below or paste it into your browser. http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=eM50Y5zl2W10403ecd0a ***Andy in Montreal April 8*** Andy makes his first-ever appearance in Canada on Tuesday, April 8 at the Jewish Public Library in Montreal. 7:30 PM, 5151 Côte Ste-Catherine; admission free. ***Andys Only West Coast Appearance April 24*** Andy makes his only scheduled West Coast appearance Thursday, April 24 at University of California, Santa Barbara. 8 PM at Campbell Hall. Tickets available at http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=0hnofv1t3k10403ecd0a ***Andy with Susie Essman and Jeffrey Toobin May 13*** Andy hosts Countdown to '08 on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM at the 92nd St. Y with his special guests Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jeffrey Toobin (CNN, bestselling author of The Nine). The Y is located at 92nd St. and Lexington Avenue. For tickets, go to www.92y.org. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You may unsubscribe from this list by visiting the following URL in your browser: http://list-manage.com/unsub.phtml?id=SyYnmcxgVEc10403ecd0a Yahoo! Groups Links There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
The show is In Treatment...and it is excellent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdNhzDs-lOQ - Original Message - From: maidmarian_thepoet Date: Thursday, March 6, 2008 10:18 am Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com They tried an Americanized Dr. Who. Or rather a pilot for a British/American sponsored Dr. Who. The pilot was rightly panned. It made Dr. Who too human. (On one of the Dr Who DVDs, they didn't even include that as one of the regenerations. That's how much they think of the show.) The Treatment is based on an Israeli drama. It is 30 minutes long and I think all of the episodes are on HBO.com Every night, you see a psychiatrist session with a different patient. 4 nights with his patients and Friday night as he meets with his own therapist. In watching the credits, I see that the Israeli director came over to HBO, and the stories are based on actual episodes so maybe that is why it translated better. And it's on HBO. No need to compromise because of network standards. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I can see in some cases where there are sexual or cultural things that Americans might find offensive. But even then, is that so often, and wouldn't simple editing or omission of some whole eps suffice? I too often find the original British product superiour. If nothing else, it's a different take, and i like that. For example, I'm sure an AmericanizedDr Who could be done that's exciting and all that, but the British accents, attitudes, cultural references, etc. are much more interestingto me. What's The Treatment? -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] So that they can replace the lead actress with a blond, of course. Seriously, so many of the dramatic remakes are worse and don't last long. The comedies seem to make it, but I would imagine--as someone has mentioned--that the comedies do a major rewrite in order to match U.S. comedy styles. That said, I am absolutely hooked on The Treatment. And it comes on at such an odd time. Often, I have to stay up later and catch the rerun because it comes on in the middle of our prime time. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Gymfig@ wrote: In a message dated 3/5/2008 9:19:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, KeithBJohnson@ writes: What is it so that British and other foreign audiences will often watch original American shows, but American TV so often remakes foreign shows with American actors, rather than just buy and air the original product? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
In a message dated 3/6/2008 10:42:14 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: The show is In Treatment...and it is excellent. I thought that was what it was. I need to watch the show from the beginning. There was a mini series on HBO about a man losing his wife while his children were kidnapped. I thought it was a horrible mini series. The British have flops too. **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] On the Web, Obama Is the Clear Winner
The Primary Race March 5, 2008, 12:46PM EST On the Web, Obama Is the Clear Winner He is miles ahead of Hillary Clinton when it comes to online organizing and fundraising. But does that translate into votes? http://www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/mar2008/tc2008035_280573.htm by Catherine Holahan Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) has another place where she needs to catch up: the Web. Long before Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) began his impressive winning streak in the Democratic primaries, he was trouncing his opponents in their online efforts. Clinton's wins on Mar. 4 in Ohio and Texas may have staved off for now Obama's march to the candidacy. But he still has more than triple the number of supporters on social networks MySpace (NWS) and Facebook, according to techPresident, a nonpartisan blog that covers the 2008 candidates' Web presence. His YouTube (GOOG) videos, with more than 24 million plays a day in March, grab nearly three times more daily views than Clinton's own. Perhaps most importantly, Obama's fundraising is outpacing Clinton's efforts, thanks largely to online donations. In January Obama raised $36 million, with about 80% coming from online (BusinessWeek.com, 1/17/08). Clinton raised $35 million in the same period, but didn't break out the online component. Pundits project Obama's yet-to-be released February figures will beat the $35 million Clinton raised in February, of which $30 million came from online, according to Peter Daou, the Clinton campaign’s Internet director. Obama Campaign: Early Adopters It's clear that this digital advantage is paying dividends. In prior Presidential elections the Web served as little more than another channel for candidates to broadcast their positions and collect donations. This year, however, social networking sites and new Web tools are enabling candidates to mobilize large groups to take action online, on the phone, and on the streets. The tools are more powerful and there are more of them now, says Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet American Life Project. This is a more robust environment than ever before. Obama's campaign decided early on that the Web needed to play an instrumental role in helping to organize large numbers of supporters, particularly as a counter to the influence the Clintons already had within the Democratic Party's inner circle, including with key delegates. If we were going to do this and be successful it had to be from the bottom up, says Joe Rospars, director of new media for the Obama campaign. Rospars is the founding partner of the Washington (D.C.)-based Internet strategy firm, Blue State Digital, and worked on the Howard Dean campaign in 2004. Obama has multiple teams involved in his online effort. There's a technology team that handles infrastructure and another that manages his new-media efforts, such as the design of his Web site and the tools provided to its users. He has a video team that shoots his speeches and interactions on the campaign trail and posts them to YouTube and Obama's blog, which is written by campaign members. Rallying the Social Networks There is also a person who manages the thousands of regional, demographic, and issue-oriented social networks on My.BarackObama.com, where users can start their own blogs about his campaign, organize regional events, and raise funds (BusinessWeek.com, 6/18/08). Another person manages the pro-Obama groups on Facebook and MySpace—more than 970,000 people have signed up between the two sites. The campaign itself has tried to tap into the power of social networks but equally as striking is the way his supporters have self-organized and taken the initiative to support him, says Rainie. Obama is himself actively engaged in the social networks. Before Super Tuesday he solicited opinions on business social network site LinkedIn about how the next President could help small businesses and entrepreneurs thrive. He received nearly 1,500 responses in a week, says Kay Luo, LinkedIn's director of corporate communications, who helped organize his campaigns efforts on the site. Lower the burden of federal regulation, and simplify the tax code so American small business owners don't have to face the hidden tax of preparing our taxes, wrote Allen Fuller, a managing partner at a technology, strategy, and marketing firm, in response to the question. Later, a LinkedIn poll showed more than 50% of Democrats on the site said they supported Obama vs. Clinton's 36%. The Obama campaign has learned how to navigate the new political media ecology better than anyone in the 2008 election, says Andrew Rasiej, co-founder of techPresident. Jeremy Snyder, a 23-year-old Portland (Ore.) resident, says he would not have become so active in the campaign were it not for pro-Obama groups on Facebook and My.BarackObama.com. After signing up, he met people in his area who organized debate-watching parties at local pubs,
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
is Gabriel Byrne in The Treatment? He was on Charlie Rose last night talking about a series he was in, but i was going in and out of sleep. I thought that was it -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] They tried an Americanized Dr. Who. Or rather a pilot for a British/American sponsored Dr. Who. The pilot was rightly panned. It made Dr. Who too human. (On one of the Dr Who DVDs, they didn't even include that as one of the regenerations. That's how much they think of the show.) The Treatment is based on an Israeli drama. It is 30 minutes long and I think all of the episodes are on HBO.com Every night, you see a psychiatrist session with a different patient. 4 nights with his patients and Friday night as he meets with his own therapist. In watching the credits, I see that the Israeli director came over to HBO, and the stories are based on actual episodes so maybe that is why it translated better. And it's on HBO. No need to compromise because of network standards. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I can see in some cases where there are sexual or cultural things that Americans might find offensive. But even then, is that so often, and wouldn't simple editing or omission of some whole eps suffice? I too often find the original British product superiour. If nothing else, it's a different take, and i like that. For example, I'm sure an Americanized Dr Who could be done that's exciting and all that, but the British accents, attitudes, cultural references, etc. are much more interesting to me. What's The Treatment? -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] So that they can replace the lead actress with a blond, of course. Seriously, so many of the dramatic remakes are worse and don't last long. The comedies seem to make it, but I would imagine--as someone has mentioned--that the comedies do a major rewrite in order to match U.S. comedy styles. That said, I am absolutely hooked on The Treatment. And it comes on at such an odd time. Often, I have to stay up later and catch the rerun because it comes on in the middle of our prime time. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Gymfig@ wrote: In a message dated 3/5/2008 9:19:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, KeithBJohnson@ writes: What is it so that British and other foreign audiences will often watch original American shows, but American TV so often remakes foreign shows with American actors, rather than just buy and air the original product? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Re: Huge Changes Coming To 'Doctor Who,' 'Torchwood'?
I gave this more consideration and factored in the fact that the BBC is a public entity, financed by a television licensing fee. As such, it is probably subject to the same political pressures as our own PBS. Just like in the good ol' USA, I am sure British politicos gain traction by bashing the BBC for not being family oriented. The programming of the private television networks, including the one owned by arch conservative Rupert Murdock, air much racier programming than the BBC does. I sure omni-sexual Jack Harkness, who had bed both one female member of his team and one male member and who has had more alien booty than Captain James Tiberius Kirk, is a bug up some conservative MP's butt. ~(no)rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm sure i will adapt, but it seems to me that they built the show around Harkness. Barrowman is a hard act to follow. As much as I like Martha Jones, I believe the show that is left will be a shell of what it was . It is too bad. I think the new season is much better than the first season. ravenadal wrote: As someone who thinks Naoko Mori is hot and Captain Harkness is a hoot, suspenders and all, I am not at all excited by this news. ~(no)rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) tdlists@ wrote: By MICHAEL HINMAN Source: Sci Fi Pulse Mar-04-2008 This story contains possible MAJOR SPOILERS for upcoming seasons of Doctor Who and Torchwood. This story also contains rumors that have not been independently corroborated by SyFy Portal, so treat them as you would any rumor. Like Torchwood the way it is now? Like its original source show, Doctor Who? Well get ready for some changes. Despite the fact that Doctor Who and Torchwood remain two of the most-watched scripted programs on British television, it appears that BBC is getting ready to make some wholesale changes to both shows, including the replacement of both stars. According to Dr. Phibes, a source for British genre site Sci- Fi Pulse, both David Tennant and John Barrowman are set to leave their respective programs, along with a number of other cast members. Tennant, who is about to premiere in the show's fourth season on BBC later this spring, will apparently work through the 2009 specials leading up to the annual Christmas episode, where he will regenerate and be replaced by another actor. According to Sci-Fi Pulse, filming for the Doctor Who specials in 2009 is already under way, with a wrap planned for as early as the end of this month. While Carlyle is not signed to play the role as the 11th Doctor, Dr. Phibes says that the BBC is in negotiations to sign the actor. It won't just be Doctor Who getting a makeover, however. Remember that experiment BBC Two was doing where it was watering down episodes of Torchwood to make it more family friendly? If Dr. Phibes is correct, then it seems that they were warming up audiences to a new version of the show which will launch in the third season. So far, only five episodes have been commissioned out of the standard 13, and gone are actors Burn Gorman (Owen Harper), Naoko Mori (Toshiko Sato) and Capt. Jack Harkness' John Barrowman. In, however, is former Doctor Who companion Freema Agyeman, who will join the show full-time in Season 3. Eve Myles, who plays Gwen Cooper, is expected to return as well, and Barrowman is reported to be making guest appearances in the third season. The show itself will lose some of its adult-themed content, and will be geared more toward Doctor Who style audiences. The goal is not to have two different series running at the same time, but instead to work as sort of a filler series for off periods of Doctor Who, which only films a handful of episodes each year. With the changes, Torchwood will move to a Saturday timeslot where Doctor Who currently airs. If true, these would be some very significant changes to the Whoniverse by BBC, and a bit head-scratching as ratings for both shows in their current formats have been phenomenal. Sci-Fi Pulse stands behind its source on this, saying he has been accurate in his reports in the past, but even that site warns this is nothing more than rumor, and should be treated as such. Torchwood is currently airing on BBC Two and BBC America, while Doctor Who is preparing to
[scifinoir2] [Gadgets] Working as a video game tester
http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/030608/games1.html Testing, testing, testing Working as a video game tester requires a keen eye for bugs and a high level of patience by ERIK LEIJON Imagine playing your favourite level on your favourite video game. Now imagine playing that level for an entire day. After that, play it for the next five days, and when youre done, play it again for another two months. If youre sick and tired at that point - bite your tongue and play it for another two months. That, explains Eidos Montreals lead quality assurance (QA) tester Emmanuel-Yvan Ofoe, is the job of game testing. Its repetitive, requires constant attention and can become frustrating, but its an essential and unheralded stage in the video game process. Its also become a booming business in Montreal, with internal testing teams at most of the development studios and large outsourcing firms constantly looking to hire experienced gamers. In the past, game testing typically occurred later, as the game neared completion, whereas nowadays it occurs throughout a video games creation cycle - from alpha to beta - meaning a tester often has to play bug-infested messes so early in development that they hardly seem like games at all. Youre working on the same game for a year, says Ofoe, and Im not talking about World of Warcraft. At home you can choose what type of game you want to play whenever you want. Here, its every day that you have to play. There are a lot of misconceptions about the job, adds fellow Eidos lead QA tester William Pare. People think youre playing games all day. But thats like saying someone who builds swimming pools swims all day. Breakers and fixers With 10 and three years of experience as testers respectively, both Ofoe and Pare have seen their fair share of wide-eyed gamers thinking they stumbled upon their dream job, only to leave soon after. While loving games is definitely a pre-requisite, it takes more than a passion for Halo 3 to survive in this field. In an average day, Eidos Montreals 27 testers must play through a specific area of a game repeatedly, exploring the many possibilities that exist in a particular level, looking for graphical glitches and collision detection problems (such as being able to walk through walls), as well as more significant problems like sound issues and game crashes. Testers keep track of every action they do, so when something goes awry they can retrace their steps and find out what the real problem was. Pare divides testers into two types: those who break games and those who find what is broken. Its not as easy as just saying Oh, I found a bug, says Pare. You have to investigate. You have to figure out what makes it happen, how to do it consistently, or if what triggers it is random. Ofoe adds, Often, a problem can hide another problem. Its one thing to say I passed through a wall, but if you dont look at every other wall, maybe theres no collision [detection] throughout the game. So you have to find the right cause. Since all their information goes directly back to the developers, who could be anywhere in the world, the testers have to be extremely clear and concise when explaining what went wrong, so it can be fixed quickly. Depending on the game, every few weeks a newer, updated version of the game could be sent to the testers, who have to then verify that all the mistakes they found the last time were solved, and no new problems have surfaced. Ofoe says the most frustrating part of the job is when he receives new builds of games that are actually more bugged than the previous versions, requiring him to essentially start his job all over again. When progression stops, Ofoe says, and youre stuck with something that isnt working, when it gets redundant thats a problem. Bugs everywhere Playing a game as a tester requires a more discerning eye than when you play merely for recreation. It involves a keen sense of observation to notice not just whats happening in the game, but also any bugs or glitches in the background. Pare admits that sometimes, when he is playing for fun (he and Ofoe still play games, even when not on the clock), he still tries to break the games hes playing. And like any other gamer, he gets upset with glitches in the finished product. I was playing Crysis, he says. I got two bugs and couldnt finish the game. Tester or not, you get pissed off. Both are adamant its impossible to release a perfect game without bugs. Theres also the idea floating around that game testing represents a foothold in the gaming industry, and that its possible to move up into production or design with sufficient testing experience. When you become a tester, you can have aspirations but you have to learn [the proper skills elsewhere] first. You cant go from being a tester to an animator, says Ofoe, who would consider moving into a different area of the gaming industry if the opportunity presented
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
Yes..I saw him on it too...this is his best work ever...a part of a lifetime. - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Thursday, March 6, 2008 3:50 pm Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com is Gabriel Byrne in The Treatment? He was on Charlie Rose last night talking about a series he was in, but i was going in and out of sleep. I thought that was it -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet They tried an Americanized Dr. Who. Or rather a pilot for a British/American sponsored Dr. Who. The pilot was rightly panned. It made Dr. Who too human. (On one of the Dr Who DVDs, they didn't even include that as one of the regenerations. That's how much they think of the show.) The Treatment is based on an Israeli drama. It is 30 minutes long and I think all of the episodes are on HBO.com Every night, you see a psychiatrist session with a different patient. 4 nights with his patients and Friday night as he meets with his own therapist. In watching the credits, I see that the Israeli director came over to HBO, and the stories are based on actual episodes so maybe that is why it translated better. And it's on HBO. No need to compromise because of network standards. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I can see in some cases where there are sexual or cultural things that Americans might find offensive. But even then, is that so often, and wouldn't simple editing or omission of some whole eps suffice? I too often find the original British product superiour. If nothing else, it's a different take, and i like that. For example, I'm sure an AmericanizedDr Who could be done that's exciting and all that, but the British accents, attitudes, cultural references, etc. are much more interestingto me. What's The Treatment? -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] So that they can replace the lead actress with a blond, of course. Seriously, so many of the dramatic remakes are worse and don't last long. The comedies seem to make it, but I would imagine--as someone has mentioned--that the comedies do a major rewrite in order to match U.S. comedy styles. That said, I am absolutely hooked on The Treatment. And it comes on at such an odd time. Often, I have to stay up later and catch the rerun because it comes on in the middle of our prime time. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Gymfig@ wrote: In a message dated 3/5/2008 9:19:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, KeithBJohnson@ writes: What is it so that British and other foreign audiences will often watch original American shows, but American TV so often remakes foreign shows with American actors, rather than just buy and air the original product? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Torchwood is anigram for Doctor Who
I like anigrams so I find it amusing that Torchwood is an anigram for Doctor Who. An intentional one that was used to camouflage a new season of Dr. Who plot twists a couple of seasons ago. ~rave!
[scifinoir2] Incognegro
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/comics/reviews/55746/incognegro/ Incognegro Writer: Mat Johnson Art: Warren Pleece Publisher: Vertigo/DC Comics February 2008, 136 pages, $19.99 by Chauncey Mabe South Florida Sun-Sentinel (MCT) If you look at photos of NAACP leadership from the 1930s, youll find a wiry, professorial-looking man with blond hair and fair skin at the center of many. This is Walter Francis White who, despite his appearance, was a black man. He used his white looks to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan and wrote many on-the-scene articles exposing the horrors of lynching. White is the inspiration behind Incognegro, the graphic novel by literary prose writer Mat Johnson and British artist Warren Pleece. Incognegro is the pseudonym of Zane Pinchback, a Southern-born, Harlem-based reporter who, like White, takes advantage of his appearance - attending lynchings, taking names and addresses under the guise of selling personalized postcards of the event, and writing exposes of the hatred and violence visited upon blacks in the `30s. The work is dangerous - at the opening of the novel, he barely escapes with his life when a lynch mob figures out hes a spy of some kind and pegs him for a - shall we say, negro? Pinchback, aware of his good fortune at eluding discovery or worse, returns to Harlem determined to give up the undercover work. Besides, hes an ambitious young journalist, chafing under the knowledge that while the Incognegro byline is famous, almost nobody knows the work of Zane Pinchback. He wants to write commentary and arts criticism to find out just where his talent might lead. When Pinchback learns his twin brother has been arrested for murdering a white woman, however, he heads South one last time. From that point Incognegro becomes a mixture of pulp mystery, Southern gothic, and Jim Crow parable. Pinchbacks brother, Alonzo, who looks just like him, but with dark skin, is a moonshiner charged with bashing in the face of a white woman named Michaela Mathers. Posing as a Klan official, Pinchback interviews Alonzo in jail. Michaela was, in fact, his brothers girlfriend and partner in the illegal whiskey operation. In the best crime fiction tradition, Pinchback must investigate the crime to find the real culprit - and before a mob overwhelms the sheriffs determination to protect his prisoner. Its a journey that takes Pinchback to the remote still site, into the towns black enclave, and out into the hinterland where a family of mentally unstable hill folk may have information. Pinchbacks best friend, Carl, a dandy-ish tag-along, complicates matters by pretending to be a rich Englishman charming the local white elite, insensible of the risks. Johnson, an award-winning literary novelist and short-story writer who teaches at the University of Houston, shows a feel for both the seriousness of his subject, and the lurid conventions of the pulp mystery and the graphic novel. Among the admirable facets of Incognegro is the way Johnson develops substantial characterizations through action. Pinchbacks brusque editor is a familiar type, but one with more nuance than Supermans Perry White or Spidermans J. Jonah Jameson. A local black man Pinchback enlists to help shows the dignity and keen sense of self-preservation required of people living under extreme oppression. Even the hill people, the closest Johnson comes to stereotype, are individually delineated characters. Perhaps the characters Johnson most impressively captures are the racists. They feel fully justified in their actions, preserving the natural hierarchy of humanity, yet some, at least, know they are motivated by self-interest. One character, abducting a black man, explains both: On one side we got Gods white people, and all of our spoils of war, such as this very land. And on the other side we got all the mud people, the invaders, who want whats ours. He adds: Its understandable. We got the best stuff. Who wouldnt want all that we have? But Im not going to let you take whats mine. I dont care if its something I stole, Id be a fool if I let you have it. Thats just common sense. Likewise, Johnsons understanding of the period - and Pleeces as well - seems thorough and convincing. I detected not a single anachronism. Incognegro proves once more, if proof is still needed, that the graphic novel equals prose, film and stage in its potential for all kinds of creative expression.
Re: [scifinoir2] Torchwood is anigram for Doctor Who
I really didn't care for the conceit. Then again, since Torchwood itself has yet to win me over... ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I like anigrams so I find it amusing that Torchwood is an anigram for Doctor Who. An intentional one that was used to camouflage a new season of Dr. Who plot twists a couple of seasons ago. ~rave! There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] [Gadgets] Working as a video game tester
To quote an old Marshall Crenshaw song, I know definitely that it's just not for me... I can't play the games I *love* more than a day at a time. brent wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: http://www.montrealmirror.com/2008/030608/games1.html Testing, testing, testing Working as a video game tester requires a keen eye for bugs and a high level of patience by ERIK LEIJON Imagine playing your favourite level on your favourite video game. Now imagine playing that level for an entire day. After that, play it for the next five days, and when youre done, play it again for another two months. If youre sick and tired at that point - bite your tongue and play it for another two months. That, explains Eidos Montreals lead quality assurance (QA) tester Emmanuel-Yvan Ofoe, is the job of game testing. Its repetitive, requires constant attention and can become frustrating, but its an essential and unheralded stage in the video game process. Its also become a booming business in Montreal, with internal testing teams at most of the development studios and large outsourcing firms constantly looking to hire experienced gamers. In the past, game testing typically occurred later, as the game neared completion, whereas nowadays it occurs throughout a video games creation cycle - from alpha to beta - meaning a tester often has to play bug-infested messes so early in development that they hardly seem like games at all. Youre working on the same game for a year, says Ofoe, and Im not talking about World of Warcraft. At home you can choose what type of game you want to play whenever you want. Here, its every day that you have to play. There are a lot of misconceptions about the job, adds fellow Eidos lead QA tester William Pare. People think youre playing games all day. But thats like saying someone who builds swimming pools swims all day. Breakers and fixers With 10 and three years of experience as testers respectively, both Ofoe and Pare have seen their fair share of wide-eyed gamers thinking they stumbled upon their dream job, only to leave soon after. While loving games is definitely a pre-requisite, it takes more than a passion for Halo 3 to survive in this field. In an average day, Eidos Montreals 27 testers must play through a specific area of a game repeatedly, exploring the many possibilities that exist in a particular level, looking for graphical glitches and collision detection problems (such as being able to walk through walls), as well as more significant problems like sound issues and game crashes. Testers keep track of every action they do, so when something goes awry they can retrace their steps and find out what the real problem was. Pare divides testers into two types: those who break games and those who find what is broken. Its not as easy as just saying Oh, I found a bug, says Pare. You have to investigate. You have to figure out what makes it happen, how to do it consistently, or if what triggers it is random. Ofoe adds, Often, a problem can hide another problem. Its one thing to say I passed through a wall, but if you dont look at every other wall, maybe theres no collision [detection] throughout the game. So you have to find the right cause. Since all their information goes directly back to the developers, who could be anywhere in the world, the testers have to be extremely clear and concise when explaining what went wrong, so it can be fixed quickly. Depending on the game, every few weeks a newer, updated version of the game could be sent to the testers, who have to then verify that all the mistakes they found the last time were solved, and no new problems have surfaced. Ofoe says the most frustrating part of the job is when he receives new builds of games that are actually more bugged than the previous versions, requiring him to essentially start his job all over again. When progression stops, Ofoe says, and youre stuck with something that isnt working, when it gets redundant thats a problem. Bugs everywhere Playing a game as a tester requires a more discerning eye than when you play merely for recreation. It involves a keen sense of observation to notice not just whats happening in the game, but also any bugs or glitches in the background. Pare admits that sometimes, when he is playing for fun (he and Ofoe still play games, even when not on the clock), he still tries to break the games hes playing. And like any other gamer, he gets upset with glitches in the finished product. I was playing Crysis, he says. I got two bugs and couldnt finish the game. Tester or not, you get pissed off. Both are adamant its impossible to release a perfect game without bugs. Theres also the idea floating around that game testing represents a foothold in the gaming industry, and that its possible to move up into production or design
[scifinoir2] Re: Networks clamor for foreign TV shows
Yes, that's the one. And I have been roundly corrected on the name. It's In Treatment. That's what I get for internet-ing at work. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: is Gabriel Byrne in The Treatment? He was on Charlie Rose last night talking about a series he was in, but i was going in and out of sleep. I thought that was it -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet [EMAIL PROTECTED] They tried an Americanized Dr. Who. Or rather a pilot for a British/American sponsored Dr. Who. The pilot was rightly panned. It made Dr. Who too human. (On one of the Dr Who DVDs, they didn't even include that as one of the regenerations. That's how much they think of the show.) The Treatment is based on an Israeli drama. It is 30 minutes long and I think all of the episodes are on HBO.com Every night, you see a psychiatrist session with a different patient. 4 nights with his patients and Friday night as he meets with his own therapist. In watching the credits, I see that the Israeli director came over to HBO, and the stories are based on actual episodes so maybe that is why it translated better. And it's on HBO. No need to compromise because of network standards. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, KeithBJohnson@ wrote: I can see in some cases where there are sexual or cultural things that Americans might find offensive. But even then, is that so often, and wouldn't simple editing or omission of some whole eps suffice? I too often find the original British product superiour. If nothing else, it's a different take, and i like that. For example, I'm sure an Americanized Dr Who could be done that's exciting and all that, but the British accents, attitudes, cultural references, etc. are much more interesting to me. What's The Treatment? -- Original message -- From: maidmarian_thepoet md_moore42@ So that they can replace the lead actress with a blond, of course. Seriously, so many of the dramatic remakes are worse and don't last long. The comedies seem to make it, but I would imagine--as someone has mentioned--that the comedies do a major rewrite in order to match U.S. comedy styles. That said, I am absolutely hooked on The Treatment. And it comes on at such an odd time. Often, I have to stay up later and catch the rerun because it comes on in the middle of our prime time. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Gymfig@ wrote: In a message dated 3/5/2008 9:19:40 PM Eastern Standard Time, KeithBJohnson@ writes: What is it so that British and other foreign audiences will often watch original American shows, but American TV so often remakes foreign shows with American actors, rather than just buy and air the original product? [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] A new, gun-toting Captain America
Okay... When does DC step up and sue the stuffing out of Marvel for stealing Lex Luthor outright? (And, if this occurs, I'm buying.) ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From March 6, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone: Metaphors for the effects of the Bush Presidency on the American spirit don't get any harsher than this one: Last year, Captain America, who had been fighting Nazis, supervillians and sometimes his own government in the pages of Marvel comic books since 1941, was shot dead. And now, in the series' latest sign of the times, a new, more morally compromised character has taken over the stars-and-stripes uniform: Cap's former kid sidekick, Bucky, who spent a few years as a brainwashed Russian assassin and is now a gun-toting killer. Ed Brubaker, the former indie-comics writer who's been working on Captain America since 2004, sees his riveting version of the comic as an espionage thriller. It's not meant to be totally reflective of the American psyche, he says. But at the same time, I'm part of the American psyche, so maybe there is something of that seeping out there. In an even more directly relevant plot line, longtime CAp villain the Red Skull is now the head of a multinational corporation - and he's aiming to destroy the country by foreclosing on mortgages and driving up oil prices. Brubaker has been hoping to do that storyline ever since the Enron scandal. How much of our country are we giving away to these vast corporations that have no one to answer to at all! he says. If there's any politics of my own in the book, it's that part. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] A new, gun-toting Captain America
And, to add on again, I can't wait for the day when Steve Rogers comes back and decides that he's none too fond of what's been done with the Flag and Shield, even by his old friend. It'll make for one of those classic old Marvel showdowns, two heroes bashing each others' brains in until some revelatory event brings them around to begrudging respect. Except ol' Bucky will have more of his brains bashed in. Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Okay... When does DC step up and sue the stuffing out of Marvel for stealing Lex Luthor outright? (And, if this occurs, I'm buying.) ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From March 6, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone: Metaphors for the effects of the Bush Presidency on the American spirit don't get any harsher than this one: Last year, Captain America, who had been fighting Nazis, supervillians and sometimes his own government in the pages of Marvel comic books since 1941, was shot dead. And now, in the series' latest sign of the times, a new, more morally compromised character has taken over the stars-and-stripes uniform: Cap's former kid sidekick, Bucky, who spent a few years as a brainwashed Russian assassin and is now a gun-toting killer. Ed Brubaker, the former indie-comics writer who's been working on Captain America since 2004, sees his riveting version of the comic as an espionage thriller. It's not meant to be totally reflective of the American psyche, he says. But at the same time, I'm part of the American psyche, so maybe there is something of that seeping out there. In an even more directly relevant plot line, longtime CAp villain the Red Skull is now the head of a multinational corporation - and he's aiming to destroy the country by foreclosing on mortgages and driving up oil prices. Brubaker has been hoping to do that storyline ever since the Enron scandal. How much of our country are we giving away to these vast corporations that have no one to answer to at all! he says. If there's any politics of my own in the book, it's that part. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Lost Tonight
Lost comes on tonight with a rerun of last week's episode. **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Torchwood is anigram for Doctor Who
have you seen the second season episodes? I think the show has improved a lot Martin wrote: I really didn't care for the conceit. Then again, since Torchwood itself has yet to win me over... ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I like anigrams so I find it amusing that Torchwood is an anigram for Doctor Who. An intentional one that was used to camouflage a new season of Dr. Who plot twists a couple of seasons ago. ~rave! There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Re: [scifinoir2] [Review] Tripping the Rift: The Movie
Oh, I cannot *wait* for this! Not only hi-frelling-lariously funny, it reminded me anew of my latent and deep-seated hatred of clowns... brent wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: S P O I L E R S - http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=10084 DVD Review: Tripping the Rift: The Movie by R.J. Carter Published: March 4, 2008 The crew of Tripping the Rift are back, and this time in a full-fledged, full-blown, full-on freakin' unrated movie! What does this mean for Chode, Gus, Six, T'nuk and Whip, now that they can get naked, get violent, get violently naked, and be nakedly violent? Well, it means they get to drop the F-bomb without a deletion. That warning on the back of the box that says Gratuitous Nudity - that's pretty much talking about Chode, the purple tentacle headed captain voiced by Stephen Root; and he's naked in the regular episodes anyway! Whither be the nude Six, whom we see having sex with Chode with her clothes on? (And yes, I know it's a silly little wireframe-and-pixel digital cartoon - but behind that silly little wireframe-and-pixel digital cartoon is the voice of Jenny McCarthy! C'mon, don't we deserve to see Jenny McCarthy vocalize a naked cartoon, or... something?) The sci-fi harpooning and lampooning series sticks to what it does best in this film - harpoons and lampoons science fiction. The show opens with a pastiche of The Terminator, only this time it's a giant, overmuscled robot clown that appears naked in the dead-end alley. It's mission: hunt down and kill Chode. Meanwhile, Chode and company are taking on a job on the planet Slovinia, where everything is black and white. I don't mean that everything is a clear cut decision - I mean that, color-wise, everything is black and white. They've taken on the task of serving as bodyguards to the fugliest princess they've ever seen. If they can keep her alive, they'll be well paid. If she dies, however, they have to pay with their own lives. She dies. Fortunately, the producers have a plan, as they spoof Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, allowing the crew to escape with their necks intact and a new queen - in every sense of the word - sitting on the throne of Slovinia. Thus, the crew - still unaware of the robo-clown on their trail - gets back to the business of business, which in this case involves throwing a birthday party for Chode. It's not his birthday, of course, but he figures by renting out a bar and charging outrageous cover and drink prices, he can rake in a fortune. But the party is doomed - because something is going to happen at that party in the near future that will have repercussions on Chode's present, as the killer clown finally catches up with them all. Will Bobo's new plan to terminate Chode finally work? Or will Chode evade death by hiding incognito on a tranquil subdivision street full of desperately horny housewives - who may or may not have killed their friend Mary Alice? (It's a segment that will have you pausing to look at the blatant symbolism. Does that door really look like what I think it looks like?) Featuring the talents of Maurice LaMarche as the gay robot Gus (and as the Confederation's Captain Quirk), Gayle Garfinkle as the constantly PMS'd T'nuk, Rick Jones as Chode's slacker nephew Whip, and The Tonight Show's John Melendez as Bob the ship computer, Tripping the Rift: The Movie does at least get to go where the cable series has never gone before. It's a tad more raunchy visually, and definitely treading in R-rated waters narratively. Double entendres rule the day, except when a straightforward sex statement is funnier. In one scene, as Chode shakingly tries to insert a key into a lock that will open a treasure, Gus implores him, Come on, Chode, stick it in, prompting Chode to turn and say, Promise me you will never say that again. If you're a fan of the series, then you already know what you're in for. The scenes play out almost as if they could have been separate episodes with a running subplot of a killer clown on the loose. And that may actually be the film's greatest weakness. Many of the scenes just seem to drag out, not really moving the adventure forward. We spend far too much time in black and white on Slovinia, and far too little time in the Wisteria Lane spoof. This DVD release comes with one bonus feature, the seven-minute Captain's Log: The Making of 'Tripping the Rift: The Movie.' The feature is a montage of interviews with LaMarche, Root, Melendez and McCarthy. (I suppose nobody wanted to see Garfinke and Jones?) LaMarche talks about the impressions he gets to do on the show, and Root compares the series to 'Star Wars' meets the porn industry. Meanwhile, McCarthy, the new voice of Six for this adventure, talks about the similarities between herself and Chode's android sex slave: We're both multi-orgasmic and have heaving breasts. She then goes on to
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Huge Changes Coming To 'Doctor Who,' 'Torchwood'?
I can't see pulling *anyone* from the cast. [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: No Owen I like Owen. I don't care much for Jack though. I am not a big fan of Martha Jones either. The personalities are so different so that the original cast gels well together. **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Bush Lets Red Phone Go to Voicemail
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Bless good 'ol Borowitz! What would we do without him! Talk about phoning it in... 8-O Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: March 3, 2008 Bush Says He Lets Red Phone Go Straight to Voicemail 'Baffled' By Clinton Campaign Ads, President Says President George W. Bush commented on Sen. Hillary Clinton's controversial red phone campaign ads at the White House today, telling reporters, When that red phone rings, I just let it go straight to voicemail. Mr. Bush rarely comments about the Democratic presidential contest, but he said that he had to speak up about Sen. Clinton's red phone ads because he found them so confusing. If I answered the red phone every time it rang, I would never get any sleep, Mr. Bush said. Sometimes it starts ringing at 9 PM, and I am already tucked in by then. Mr. Bush said that there's nothing so important that it can't wait until tomorrow, or whenever I remember to check my voicemail. In a rebuke of Sen. Clinton, Mr. Bush added, If she doesn't know about letting your calls go straight to voicemail, I don't think she has the experience to be president. Campaigning in Houston, former President Bill Clinton took issue with Mr. Bush's remarks, telling reporters, When I get a call at 3 AM, I always pick up, if you know what I mean. Pressed to explain exactly what he meant, the former president said, Three o'clock in the morning - come on! Odds are we're talking about a booty call. Shortly after his booty call remark, the Clinton campaign said that they were revising the former president's itinerary to focus on states that had already voted in February. Elsewhere, Sen. John McCain released a new series of campaign ads, showing him answering a telegraph key at 3 A.M. www.borowitzreport.com Waste Someone's Time: Forward to a Friend: http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=OF47XnuYT210403ecd0a[EMAIL PROTECTED]rec=6840 Sign up today for your own Borowitz Reports, click the link below or paste it into your browser. http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=dEz6qdJ8aG10403ecd0a ***Andy in Montreal - April 8*** Andy makes his first-ever appearance in Canada on Tuesday, April 8 at the Jewish Public Library in Montreal. 7:30 PM, 5151 Côte Ste-Catherine; admission free. ***Andy's Only West Coast Appearance - April 24*** Andy makes his only scheduled West Coast appearance Thursday, April 24 at University of California, Santa Barbara. 8 PM at Campbell Hall. Tickets available at http://email.borowitzreport.com/cgi-bin/redir?MCid=yJqJg46lHM10403ecd0a ***Andy with Susie Essman and Jeffrey Toobin - May 13*** Andy hosts Countdown to '08 on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM at the 92nd St. Y with his special guests Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jeffrey Toobin (CNN, bestselling author of The Nine). The Y is located at 92nd St. and Lexington Avenue. For tickets, go to www.92y.org.
[scifinoir2] New New Amsterdam Episode
Anybody watching. I am not. I am watching Lost. **It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf000301) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] A new, gun-toting Captain America
yeah, i'm looking forward to Cap's return too. A figh t with Bucky would be something else, given that the former Winter Soldier is an amazing fighter (he recently beat the Black Widow in hand-to-hand) and has that bionic arm to boot. -- Original message -- From: Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] And, to add on again, I can't wait for the day when Steve Rogers comes back and decides that he's none too fond of what's been done with the Flag and Shield, even by his old friend. It'll make for one of those classic old Marvel showdowns, two heroes bashing each others' brains in until some revelatory event brings them around to begrudging respect. Except ol' Bucky will have more of his brains bashed in. Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Okay... When does DC step up and sue the stuffing out of Marvel for stealing Lex Luthor outright? (And, if this occurs, I'm buying.) ravenadal [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: From March 6, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone: Metaphors for the effects of the Bush Presidency on the American spirit don't get any harsher than this one: Last year, Captain America, who had been fighting Nazis, supervillians and sometimes his own government in the pages of Marvel comic books since 1941, was shot dead. And now, in the series' latest sign of the times, a new, more morally compromised character has taken over the stars-and-stripes uniform: Cap's former kid sidekick, Bucky, who spent a few years as a brainwashed Russian assassin and is now a gun-toting killer. Ed Brubaker, the former indie-comics writer who's been working on Captain America since 2004, sees his riveting version of the comic as an espionage thriller. It's not meant to be totally reflective of the American psyche, he says. But at the same time, I'm part of the American psyche, so maybe there is something of that seeping out there. In an even more directly relevant plot line, longtime CAp villain the Red Skull is now the head of a multinational corporation - and he's aiming to destroy the country by foreclosing on mortgages and driving up oil prices. Brubaker has been hoping to do that storyline ever since the Enron scandal. How much of our country are we giving away to these vast corporations that have no one to answer to at all! he says. If there's any politics of my own in the book, it's that part. There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Classic Scifi Shows on CBS.com
This was posted a couple of weeks ago, but how cool! Classic Trek, classic Twilight Zone, Hawaii Five-O, all a mouse-click away! http://www.cbs.com/classics/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] A new, gun-toting Captain America
On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 6:27 PM, Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Okay... When does DC step up and sue the stuffing out of Marvel for stealing Lex Luthor outright? (And, if this occurs, I'm buying.) Yarp? Evil Industrialists are hardly something that got invented in '85. JJ Mohareb -- Read the Bitter Guide to the Bitter Guy. http://thebitterguy.livejournal.com
Re: [scifinoir2] Supernatural and Smallville Get Early Renewal
you said it! It's just boring, and I *hate* that they killed of Johnathan Kent. The show suffers without his presence, Marth's all but been written out, the Clark/Lana/Lex thing is boring, and all the new guest metas--Flash, Black Canary, Green Arrow--seem more cartoonish than cool. Jor-El --his soul or emgrams or computer copy or whatever--is a controlling jerk, and they've put this Krypton on Earth angle way too much into the show. And like I said before, at this time in his life, Clark in the comics was depicted as having gone on his ten-year journey of the world. So why's he still hanging out in Smallville? The so-called Lost Years are supposed to be where he met some of the other heroes he'd later work with, but the writers are bringing the whole freakin' superhero world to Smallville! Can't imagine what in the world they can do to make it interesting for another year, unless they do three things: make Lex fully evil and kill off his dad...start the events which will lead I believe to Chloe's death (She's not a character in the comics, and she once told Clark I'd die before revealing your secret, a bit of foreshadowing I believe)...get Clark on the road, literally, so he can go out in the world and learn about it. -- Original message -- From: Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] Of this list, I'll take Supernatural for renewal. Smallville, as Keith has said time and again, has jumped the shark, and really needs to be put out to pasture. This week, Bizarro is *standing in for Clark* ??? Bye, folks. Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Supernatural and Smallville Get Early Renewal Other CW shows coming back include Gossip Girl, Top Model. by IGN Staff March 3, 2008 - The CW has announced early pickups of six series today, including Smallville and Supernatural. Smallville will return for Season 8 and Supernatural for Season 4 this fall. Supernatural fans should be particularly happy to hear about that show's early pickup, as previous years had the show much more on the bubble with the decision to pick it up made later in the season. The other pickups include the next two installments of America's Next Top Model (Season 11 and 12), a second season for Gossip Girl, a sixth season for One Tree Hill and a fourth season for Everybody Hates Chris. http://tv.ign.com/articles/856/856388p1.html Yahoo! Groups Links There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A Country - Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[scifinoir2] Robert Downey Jr. to Play Black Man in Upcoming Film
Interesting. In another interview, Downey said of playing an actor playing a black man, If its done right, it could be the type of role you called Peter Sellers to do 35 years ago, Downey says. If you dont do it right, were going to hell. I note in the text below, Downey acknowledges the wretched C. Thomas Howell film Soul Man, something that turned me off of Howell (and Rae Dawn Chong) for years http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/first-look-robert-downey-jr-as-black-man-in-tropic-thunder.php In less than two months actor Robert Downey Jr. is going to be virtually on top of the entertainment world when he hits the big screen as Tony Stark in Iron Man. If youve seen the most recent Iron Man trailer, then youll agree that it is the closest thing weve had a to sure-fire hit so far in 2008 (especially considering the flop that was Semi-Pro). But after Iron Man rocks the silver screen, Downey Jr. will be popping up in a handful of other films in 2008. For starters, he has a listed cameo as Tony Stark in Louis Leterriers The Incredible Hulk and he stars alongside Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener in Atonement director Joe Wrights The Soloist, a film that is already gathering some awards season cred. His fourth and final role of 2008 though, will be in Ben Stillers Tropic Thunder, due out August 15th. EW has given us our first look at Downey, Stiller and Jack Black in the action comedy with the picture to the right. Take a moment, look carefully. Yes, that was not a typo. In the image to the right, we see Ben Stiller and Jack Black with Robert Downey Jr. between them, walking through the jungle. In the film, which is a satire that takes aim at the egos of big Hollywood actors (like the three pictured), Downey plays Kirk Lazarus, an Oscar caliber actor who ends up with a part that was originally written for a black man. Instead of recasting, Lazarus decides to dye his skin to play the character of Osiris, well, authentically. Stiller directs (for the first time since Zoolander) and stars as a big action star who is headlining a modern day Apocalypse Now. Jack Black plays a comedian known for playing multiple roles in his films (like his last film, The Fatties: Fart 2). As EW explains, when the films director (Steve Coogan) and writer (Nick Nolte) get fed up with their prima donna cast, they drop them into the jungle to fend for themselves. The actors think theyre doing some sort of full-immersion filmmaking, but the danger theyre in is very real. If you remember, we showed you pictures a while back of Tom Cruise in a fatsuit for this film, one of the many cameos that we can probably expect to see in Thunder. But I have a feeling that no matter how ridiculous the cameos get (IMDB also lists Tobey Maguire, Matthew McConaughey and Bill Hader in Thunder), people will be talking about the transformation of Robert Downey Jr. most. Is it outrageous? Absolutely. Incredibly dangerous? You bet your ass. But no matter how risky, Downey told EW that he is very confident that they have not crossed the line: At the end of the day, its always about how well you commit to the character, he says. I dove in with both feet. If I didnt feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that Im just C. Thomas Howell in [Soul Man], I wouldve stayed home. Personally, I think that this is becoming a very highly anticipated comedy. First Tom Cruise in a fat suit, and now this I think Im in. If you forget about all the crap Ben Stiller has done in his career (of which there is a lot), you will still be remembering Zoolander, his last directorial effort, as one of his better films. The concept, cast and gags that are going into Tropic Thunder seem to me like they will work just fine. There really is nothing like seeing Hollywood bring down the hammer on their own egos no matter how silly, or in this case borderline inappropriate, it may be. But thats just my opinion Paramount Pictures plans to debut the first trailer for Tropic Thunder on March 17 online. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/ * Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional * To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/join (Yahoo! ID required) * To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
[scifinoir2] Gonna Go Back to 10,000 B.C?
The below from me is a comment i had with some folks on another list about going to see 10,000 B.C. As I stated, I'm not a fan of these guys, who bring good FX but stupid stories. Both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via a guess review from another paper) and USA Today give 10,000 B.C. the equivalent of a D. They call it stupid, dumb, boring, and ponderous. K., doesn't seem that even the FX make it worth a viewing. By contrast, both papers give Jason Statham's The Bank Job , and Colin Farrell's In Bruges solid B's and very good comments. Guess it's that and There Will be Blood for me this weekend! [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'm indifferent about 10,000 BC. The guys behind it do great FX, but their plotting and characterization leave me cold. For example, I dont watch ID4 anymore because it makes me groan in so many places. ( For some reason I can't get over Will Smith cracking wise dragging the alien across the desert moments after his best friend has died, nor the stupid device of making vivica Fox a stripper, or the laptop-created virus that takes down an interstellar ship!) I tend to think this film will be like that. If the story's as bad as Tyrone's heard, I'd only go watch it with a large group so we can make fun of it. Otherwise I'll wait for the DVD. And I have to be honest: I tire of films with white heroes in times and places where people of color were more likely to have been front and center. In the theatre, I actually laughed and grumbled to my wife What's up with the white dude with dreds, and his blue-eyed lady? Why are they the heroes? Then you see the Brother who's obviously second string to the main guy (as evidenced by him literally walking a step behind the star in the trailer). And they say Mr. Dred is some kind of predestined savior or something. That you have a destiny cliche is wy old anyway. I'm not up enough on my paleontology and anthropology to even comment yet on whether the sabretooths and domisticated wooly mammoths is realistic. I just know that I'd rather see an ancient culture focused on some darker skinned people every now and then. Heaven help me, I'd even prefer Will Smith in the lead! (I'm doomed!) I'm actually more interested in seeing the heist film The Bank Job with Jason Statham, the animated film Persepolis, There Will Be Blood, or In Bruges( the comedy with Colin Farrell). [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [scifinoir2] Gonna Go Back to 10,000 B.C?
10,000 BC is just another racially negative fantasy like 300...subliminally diluting the images and histories of minorities. I actually wanted to like 300 but when I saw them kick the first black guys in a pit...then cut off the arm of another cowering black manthen cut off the head of the black general sending it screaming at the screenthen Xerses being an giant mixed race fairy.not forgetting all the unmuscled hordes of soldiers of color being crushed by a handful of ripped Spartans...I said man its 2007 and still this crap.I just walked out the theater. - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Friday, March 7, 2008 12:29 am Subject: [scifinoir2] Gonna Go Back to 10,000 B.C? To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com The below from me is a comment i had with some folks on another list about going to see 10,000 B.C. As I stated, I'm not a fan of these guys, who bring good FX but stupid stories. Both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via a guess review from another paper) and USA Today give 10,000 B.C. the equivalent of a D. They call it stupid, dumb, boring, and ponderous. K., doesn't seem that even the FX make it worth a viewing. By contrast, both papers give Jason Statham's The Bank Job , and Colin Farrell's In Bruges solid B's and very good comments. Guess it's that and There Will be Blood for me this weekend! [EMAIL PROTECTED] I'm indifferent about 10,000 BC. The guys behind it do great FX, but their plotting and characterization leave me cold. For example, I dont watch ID4 anymore because it makes me groan in so many places. ( For some reason I can't get over Will Smith cracking wise dragging the alien across the desert moments after his best friend has died, nor the stupid device of making vivica Fox a stripper, or the laptop-created virus that takes down an interstellar ship!) I tend to think this film will be like that. If the story's as bad as Tyrone's heard, I'd only go watch it with a large group so we can make fun of it. Otherwise I'll wait for the DVD. And I have to be honest: I tire of films with white heroes in times and places where people of color were more likely to have been front and center. In the theatre, I actually laughed and grumbled to my wife What's up with the white dude with dreds, and his blue-eyed lady? Why are they the heroes? Then you see the Brother who's obviously second string to the main guy (as evidenced by him literally walking a step behind the star in the trailer). And they say Mr. Dred is some kind of predestined savior or something. That you have a destiny cliche is wy old anyway. I'm not up enough on my paleontology and anthropology to even comment yet on whether the sabretooths and domisticated wooly mammoths is realistic. I just know that I'd rather see an ancient culture focused on some darker skinned people every now and then. Heaven help me, I'd even prefer Will Smith in the lead! (I'm doomed!) I'm actually more interested in seeing the heist film The Bank Job with Jason Statham, the animated film Persepolis, There Will Be Blood, or In Bruges( the comedy with Colin Farrell). [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
