[scifinoir2] Re: Shyamalan's Avatar Cast Gets Colorful, Finally

[KeithBJohnson]

Is Patel playing Ang? Isn't he both too old and too tall for that role?
I'm just not feeling this movie.
 -- Original message --
From: "Tracey de Morsella" 
> 
> Shyamalan's
> 
> Avatar Cast Gets Colorful, Finally
> 
> 
> By Graeme McMillan  , 7:30
>   AM on
> Tue Feb 3 2009, 4,499 views 
> 
> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/02/dev.jpgStop the (internet)
> press! A non-white actor has been cast in M. Night Shyamalan's adaptation of
> Avatar: The Last Airbender! Have the internet protests been having an effect
> on the embattled production after all?
> 
> We first reported on the outcry over
>   the all-white
> casting of the distinctly non-white animated characters in December, and
> since then, fans have continued to deluge the movie's producers with reasons
> why the casting is unfair. So, does the news that Slumdog Millionaire's Dev
> Patel will be taking over the role previously thought to belong to Jesse
> McCartney represent a victory for the fans? Well, yes and no.
> 
> On the one hand, it is a refreshing sign to see Patel take over from the
> none-more-white McCartney, but on the other, this change doesn't have
> anything to do with fan reaction; as Shyamalan explained, it's all to do
> with scheduling:
> 
> Jesse had tour dates that conflicted with a boot camp I always hold on my
> films, and where the actors here have to train for martial arts.
> 
> So, while the victory wasn't won by the fans, at least they can take some
> solace in the fact that McCartney was forced off the film by the pop career
> that they so hated. That's something, surely...?
> 
> Shyamalan
>   cast
> floats on 'Air' [Variety]
> 
>  
> 


--- Begin Message ---

Shyamalan's

Avatar Cast Gets Colorful, Finally


By Graeme McMillan  , 7:30
  AM on
Tue Feb 3 2009, 4,499 views 

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/02/dev.jpgStop the (internet)
press! A non-white actor has been cast in M. Night Shyamalan's adaptation of
Avatar: The Last Airbender! Have the internet protests been having an effect
on the embattled production after all?

We first reported on the outcry over
  the all-white
casting of the distinctly non-white animated characters in December, and
since then, fans have continued to deluge the movie's producers with reasons
why the casting is unfair. So, does the news that Slumdog Millionaire's Dev
Patel will be taking over the role previously thought to belong to Jesse
McCartney represent a victory for the fans? Well, yes and no.

On the one hand, it is a refreshing sign to see Patel take over from the
none-more-white McCartney, but on the other, this change doesn't have
anything to do with fan reaction; as Shyamalan explained, it's all to do
with scheduling:

Jesse had tour dates that conflicted with a boot camp I always hold on my
films, and where the actors here have to train for martial arts.

So, while the victory wasn't won by the fans, at least they can take some
solace in the fact that McCartney was forced off the film by the pop career
that they so hated. That's something, surely...?

Shyamalan
  cast
floats on 'Air' [Variety]

 

--- End Message ---

[scifinoir2] 3 scifi shows on bbc America

[Tracey de Morsella]

Agema (sp)Freeman of Doctor Who is in two episodes of Survivors


More Primeval For BBC America


Two new sci fi series also debuting.


by Matt Fowler 

http://media.ignimgs.com/media/ign/images/readmyblog.gif

February 4, 2009 - BBC Maerica annouced today that network plans to air
three new sci-fi shows later this year - with one of them being the return
of Primeval  , which will be
airing a whole new season. Primeval, if you've never seen it, is about
evolutionary zoologist Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) and his quest to
protect humanity from rampaging dinosaurs and other uglies as "anomalies are
ripping holes in the fabric of time, allowing creatures to roam the modern
world." 

The second series is called Survivors
 , which is a "chilling new
apocalyptic drama." And what is it that's wiped out humanity this time
around? A mega-virus, of course. It doesn't sound like there will be any
mutants, or albino vamps in this one since Survivors will actually focus on
the remaining few humans on Earth and their struggles to just.survive. "At
the center of the story is a bewildered but resilient group of survivors led
by Abby Grant (Julie Graham), a woman whose strength comes from a burning
need to find out if her young son is still alive." 



The Last of the Finest. Team Primeval.

The third series is Being Human
 , which takes a more humorous
look at the world of famed movie monsters. Described as "witty" and
"farcical," Human will follow three twenty-somethings who lead secret double
lives as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. "The trio do their best to live
their lives as normally as possible, despite their strange and dark
secrets." 

 

<>

Re: [scifinoir2] OMFG! GI Joe Rise of Cobra Trailer

[KeithBJohnson]

Interesting cast. Marlon Wayons has serious dramatic acting chops when 
utilized. And did I see Chris "Dr. Who" Eccleston in the cast too? That could 
be cool.  The only thing that gives me pause is that it's directed by the dude 
who directed the first two "Mummy" movies. I'm not expecting Shakespeare, but I 
do fear he'll overload it with too much bad CGI and quick camera shots. 
Hopefully he'll focus more on the traditional action...


 -- Original message --
From: Mike Street 
> That's not Xzibit in the trailer  it's Marlyn Wayens. He looks totally
> different. Here are all the movie posters
> http://www.superherohype.com/news/gijoenews.php?id=8016
> 
> On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 4:23 PM, Martin Baxter  
> wrote:
> > I did, Aubrey. The only reason I recognized him was my 14-year-old niece, 
> > who 
> was watching along with me.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -[ Received Mail Content ]--
> >
> >  Subject : RE: [scifinoir2] OMFG! GI Joe Rise of Cobra Trailer
> >
> >  Date : Sun, 1 Feb 2009 13:08:46 -0500
> >
> >  From : Aubrey Leatherwood 
> >
> >  To : 
> >
> >
> > Hotmail(R) goes where you go. On a PC, on the Web, on your phone.
> > 
> http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/learnmore/versatility.aspx#mobile?ocid=TXT_TA
> GHM_WL_HM_versatility_121208
> >
> >
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> My Social Media Resume: http://www.visualcv.com/mikestreet
> 
> Visit my Blog: http://www.Greasyguide.com
> 
> Follow Me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/streetforce1


--- Begin Message ---













That's not Xzibit in the trailer  it's Marlyn Wayens. He looks totally
different. Here are all the movie posters
http://www.superherohype.com/news/gijoenews.php?id=8016

On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 4:23 PM, Martin Baxter  wrote:
> I did, Aubrey. The only reason I recognized him was my 14-year-old niece, who was watching along with me.
>
>
>
>
>
> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>
>  Subject : RE: [scifinoir2] OMFG! GI Joe Rise of Cobra Trailer
>
>  Date : Sun, 1 Feb 2009 13:08:46 -0500
>
>  From : Aubrey Leatherwood 
>
>  To : 
>
>
> Hotmail(R) goes where you go. On a PC, on the Web, on your phone.
> http://www.windowslive-hotmail.com/learnmore/versatility.aspx#mobile?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_WL_HM_versatility_121208
>
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds

-- 

My Social Media Resume: http://www.visualcv.com/mikestreet

Visit my Blog: http://www.Greasyguide.com

Follow Me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/streetforce1

  


	
	
	

--- End Message ---

Re: [scifinoir2] How to draw Obama

[KeithBJohnson]

Well, there are many other traits to caricature besides the obvious ones, which 
for Blacks has typically been big lips and perhaps broad noses.  Obama's ears, 
for example (like much-beloved Will Smith) have been the most obvious features 
I've seen depicted. Also, good caricatures are about more than just pure 
physical traits. A talented cartoonist could showcase how Obama stands when he 
speaks: he tends to lift his chin ever so slightly, and rotate his head to the 
side as he speaks. It's an odd stance, but it has the effect of making his gaze 
sweep the room, seeming to take in and include everyone in his audience. 

 -- Original message --
From: "Tracey de Morsella" 
> By Rich Watson
> 
> .Now that we have our first African-American president, I hope people will
> relax about caricaturing African-Americans. For some, the whole notion of
> 'caricature' has had an evil connotation when it comes to blacks. It raises
> the specter of 'Little Black Sambo' and pickaninnies. Or, even worse - Ted
> Danson in blackface.
> 
> ".But   that whole notion
> is not what I, or the caricaturists and cartoonists I know, are about."
> 
> Related: The 
> legal ramifications of Obama's likeness appearing across so many comics.
> 
> Plus: Funny
> 
> Obama-as-comics-geek story from The Onion (thanks to Max for the link).
> 
> http://www.popcultureshock.com/blogs/how-to-draw-obama/
> 
>  
> 


--- Begin Message ---





















By Rich Watson

…Now that we have our first African-American president, I hope people
will relax about caricaturing African-Americans. For some, the whole notion of
‘caricature’ has had an evil connotation when it comes to blacks.
It raises the specter of ‘Little Black Sambo’ and pickaninnies. Or,
even worse - Ted Danson in blackface.

“…But
that whole notion is not what I, or the caricaturists and cartoonists I know,
are about.”

Related: The
legal ramifications of Obama’s likeness appearing across so many comics.

Plus: Funny
Obama-as-comics-geek story from The Onion
(thanks to Max for the link).

http://www.popcultureshock.com/blogs/how-to-draw-obama/

 







  


	
	
	

--- End Message ---

RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Is DC Comics dying?

[Tracey de Morsella]

OK Pinky!   :)


-Original Message-
From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of ravenadal
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 7:00 PM
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Is DC Comics dying?

I remember when DC was the colossus and Marvel was the scrappy 
underdog.  Back in those halcyon days I hated everything DC and 
secretly plotted their demise.  Forty years later, to hear DC Comics 
is dying makes me feel...giddy!

Later, the Brain and I are going to do the same thing we do every 
night - try to take over the world!

~rave!

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Martin Baxter" 
 wrote:
>
> Grant Morrison seems to think so.
> 
> They haven't posted the article from Wizard that I read this 
afternoon on the web site, so it falls to me to quote it. When asked 
about his work on "Final Crisis" (the ending in particular, and what 
he hopes fans will take away from the conclusion of the story), he 
says, "I hope they''ll take away a sense of how much they love the DC 
universe. Because there are the two camps... and Marvel is a colossus 
right now. To me, the DC Universe dying is almost how it felt to be at 
DC. There was just a sense that Marvel was just getting bigger and 
bigger and bigger."
> 
> I don't agree with that at all.
> 
> IMO, Marvel has al but sold out its readers, with cheap and gimmicky 
plotlines that aren't likely to last more than two years before being 
retconned right out of existence, leaving nothing short of a 
continuity mess. DC, on the other hand, is bringing about "Final 
Crisis", almost to the letter as it was destined to happen thirty-odd 
years ago. 
> 
> I put my brain to the task of remembering exactly what books I'd 
picked up in the last six months, and they've been 95% DC, only 
Fantastic Four as a Marvel representative. But that's just me. 
> 
> Thrash on this.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
>







Post your SciFiNoir Profile at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scifinoir2/app/peoplemap2/entry/add?fmvn=mapYa
hoo! Groups Links

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Going to Boston

[KeithBJohnson]

It was so cold (Thursday's low was 8, high was only 18 out in Cambridge), my 
wife was miserable. She had to walk the 2-1/2 blocks to training each day (too 
close for the cabbies), and she hated it. In weather that cold, it's easy to 
get a chill and feel that you never lose it. That was her deal: she felt cold 
the entire trip, and I think she caught a slight cold as well. She kept the 
hotel room thermostat up to 80 just to feel comfortable. Needless to say, that 
meant we rarely ventured out. We ate dinner in the hotel most nights, only 
going into Cambridge to eat at the Grafton Inn on Friday night. We did eat a 
great burger place in Cambridge one night, Mr. Bartley's or something like 
that. Fantastic "frappes" (milkshakes).  So I roamed all day each day on my 
own, armoured against the cold with five layers of shirts, didn't really get to 
try any major places. I grabbed hot dogs from street vendors in downtown, eat  
a cheesesteak on State street near the Old State House, etc.
The food was good, though in the main, it's not as spiced as I like. Being from 
Texas, with its mix of Soul/Southern/Mexican fare, and now living in Atlanta, 
I'm used to food with a tad more spice to it. It wasn't bad at all, mind you. 
It's just that when i'd get fish-and-chips at Legal Seafoods, for example, i'd 
note the fish was impeccably fried, but the breading needed a little extra 
"oomph" to taste just right. Ditto for pancakes I had at Charlie's Kitchen near 
Roxbury. Good cakes, but the batter could have used some vanilla or cinnamon in 
them. Overall good food, though i'll have to really try your city when the 
weather's warmer--say, if the mercury can manage to stay about the freezing 
point of water!  :)


 -- Original message --
From: Adrianne Brennan 
> I am really, truly vegan and not someone who just occasionally eats vegan
> food. I do not eat meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy or honey, nor do I
> purchase or eat anything containing animal products.
> I only eat dessert if it doesn't contain gelatin, eggs, dairy, or honey.
> Lizzie's ice cream has Tofutti ice cream and I know that they have a place
> in Cambridge. If you're willing to spend cash or check, Veggie Planet has
> amazing food. Small place but worth it. I also enjoy Fire 'n' Ice which has
> a make your own stir fry. They have a separate vegetarian/kosher grill which
> works out awesomely for me, and I eat there with other omnivores.
> 
> Other Cambridge recommendations...Middle East has good falafel. Further
> towards Somerville in between Porter and Harvard Sq is Attis Red Sea, an
> amazing Ethiopian food place. They're right on Mass Ave.
> 
> I have an amazing spice tolerance myself--not your northern standard for
> sure--and am blanking on a good place for spicy/Mexican/soul food. I usually
> wind up cooking that sort of thing myself so I can be sure I can actually
> eat it. You may like Attis Red Sea, however. :) And their wine is amazing.
> 
> I can't advise you on seafood for obvious reasons, except suffice to say
> that you're in the Boston area and can't really go wrong there.
> 
> ~ "Where love and magic meet" ~
> http://www.adriannebrennan.com
> Experience the magic of Blood of the Dark Moon:
> http://www.adriannebrennan.com/botdm.html
> Take a bite out of Blood and Mint Chocolates:
> http://www.adriannebrennan.com/bamc.html
> Dare to take The Oath in Book 1 Bound:
> http://www.adriannebrennan.com/theoath_bound.html
> 
> 
> On Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 3:44 PM,  wrote:
> 
> > Well, I'm "mostly vegetarian", so have at it! Besides, if you still eat
> > deserts (not sure how truly vegan you are) there are recommendations there
> > you can give me: good ice cream, deserts, veggie lasagna, soups, best baked
> > bread and goods. My wife and I ate at Legal Sea Foods in Cambridge Sunday
> > (the one next to the Marriott). The food was perfectly prepared, some of the
> > best fried (that's right--fried!) fish and chips and shrimp we've ever had.
> > Clam chowder was good too. The only thing?  They were ever so slightly
> > lacking in spicing. Being from Texas, with its mix of Southern/Soul/Mexican
> > cooking, we like a bit more of a kick to food. In Georgia where we live, for
> > example, there's usually a bit of seasoning put into the breading for
> > frying. Still, it was really good.
> >
> > I just completed a tour of Harvard, which was great. Lots of nice old
> > buildings. I've seen old buildings on campuses before, of course: UT Austin,
> > Georgia Tech, TCU, etc. But to stand in front of a building built in the
> > 1680s, and see plaques dedicated to dudes from the class of 1776--wow.
> >  Tomorrow I think I'll do MIT, since it's a short walk from the Marriott.
> > Thursday - Friday I'll go into Boston proper and check out some things.
> > Again, any suggestions you have...
> >
> > I was able to walk around today because it's relatively warm. (I'm still
> > tripping on how everyone's calling this 45-degree 

Re: [scifinoir2] Genre Shows Going, Going ... Gone?

[Adrianne Brennan]

Not surprised, though. I can't believe that the US tried to remake a
perfectly good British show yet again. Life on Mars is nothing without its
original cast, especially John Simm.
~ "Where love and magic meet" ~
http://www.adriannebrennan.com
Experience the magic of Blood of the Dark Moon:
http://www.adriannebrennan.com/botdm.html
Take a bite out of Blood and Mint Chocolates:
http://www.adriannebrennan.com/bamc.html
Dare to take The Oath in Book 1 Bound:
http://www.adriannebrennan.com/theoath_bound.html


On Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 10:42 PM,  wrote:

> Too bad about Sarah Connor and Life on Mars, both good shows.  A show
> that's obviously staying I don't get is "The Mentalist". I tried to watch
> "The Mentalist" a couple of times, and just didn't get all the raves. It's
> highly rated, gets praise, but I thought it was only okay. A bit obvious and
> self-important. Frankly, I prefer the humorous take on observational prowess
> depicted in "Psych".
>
>
>  -- Original message --
> From: "Tracey de Morsella" 
> >
> > Genre Shows Going, Going ... Gone?
> >
> >
> > By MICHAEL HINMAN
> > Jan-31-2009
> >   ShareThis
> >
> > Michael Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly has shared some bad news
> for
> > fans of "Kyle XY." The ABC Family show is calling it quits after its
> current
> > run of episodes, but there could be other genre shows close behind.
> >
> > Over the past week, SyFy Portal has been talking to various studio
> sources
> > trying to get a handle on whether genre fans will have a chance to
> continue
> > seeing a ton of program in 2009-10, or if there will be a bloodbath
> coming
> > up.
> >
> > So if you're curious about whether your show is going or gone ... here's
> the
> > latest.
> >
> > Fringe (Fox)
> > STATUS: Staying
> >
> > Fox has had nothing but praise for the latest outing from J.J. Abrams and
> > the other masterminds behind the upcoming "Star Trek XI," and while
> ratings
> > haven't been homerun-ish like "House <
> http://syfyportal.com/news426021.html>
> > ," they've been enough to celebrate.
> >
> > There was some fear about what might happen to the show when "House" was
> > removed as its lead-in, but "American Idol" has been much better for the
> > show, where overnight audiences have jumped 34 percent since the change.
> >
> > And while "Fringe" did get its best rating following the season premiere
> of
> > "House" before quickly falling back down to where it had been tracking,
> the
> > second episode coming out of "American Idol" has done just as strong,
> losing
> > less than 3 percent of its previous week's audience.
> >
> > Heroes (NBC)
> > STATUS: Staying
> >
> > It might be easy to write the obituary of "Heroes," but NBC still remains
> > committed to the show. Network executives are hoping that some of the
> house
> > cleaning they did late last year moving out some producers and making
> room
> > for some familiar faces like Bryan Fuller will be just what's needed to
> help
> > the show regain its spark.
> >
> > Even if ratings don't improve too much on the upcoming volume that begins
> > Monday, NBC isn't concerned. Most of their changes came late in the game
> on
> > this season, and unless there is just a huge implosion, executives seem
> to
> > be interested in giving "Heroes" at least 13 more episodes after that.
> >
> > Knight Rider (NBC)
> > STATUS: Going
> >
> > We are hearing a lot of chatter that NBC is just not happy with how
> "Knight
> > Rider" turned out. Despite the objections of its executive producer, Gary
> > Scott Thompson, the network cleaned house there and retooled the series.
> >
> > On top of that, there seems to be a lot of heated communications between
> the
> > show and the network, which could end up with a leadership change if the
> > network decides to continue the series past the first season.
> >
> > But that doesn't seem likely. "Knight Rider" is far more expensive to
> > produce than "Bionic Woman" was, and it can't even come close to the
> > audience that "Bionic Woman" drew.
> >
> > NBC is already taking drastic steps to cut expenses and clean out its
> > schedule -- like putting Jay Leno on five nights a week in the 10 p.m.
> slot
> > -- so it seems highly unlikely they will make the room for "Knight
> Rider."
> >
> > Life On Mars (ABC)
> > STATUS: Going
> >
> > Sadly, life doesn't look good for "Life On Mars" either. Despite SyFy
> > Portal's own pleas to bring viewers to this show, it doesn't seem to be
> > happening.
> >
> > ABC had hoped putting "Life On Mars" as the "Lost" lead-out would work,
> but
> > for some reason, no show has ever been able to survive as a lead-out from
> > "Lost."
> >
> > And now it seems "Life On Mars" could be the next victim. The show lost a
> > quarter of its audience in the move, and right now it needs to retain
> every
> > single eyeball it can. If the ratings don't bounce back this coming week,
> > then Sam Tyler is as good as dead.
> >
> > The Middleman (ABC Family)
>

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Is It Time for a Black Comic Book Superhero?

[KeithBJohnson]

You mean "Blood Syndicate", right?  The group of gangbangers turned superheroes 
after the "Big Bang" that granted them all super powers? The group led first by 
Tech 9, then by the invulnerable Wise Son? Great book.   


 -- Original message --
From: Augustus Augustus 
> o.k. article, but besides the great 'Black Lighting', DC did some work in the 
> 90's when they introduced 'Static', but the books that i enjoyed even better 
> we 
> - Icon, Hardwire, and the Crime Syndicate.
> 
> --- On Sun, 2/1/09, Martin Baxter  wrote:
> From: Martin Baxter 
> Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Is It Time for a Black Comic Book Superhero?
> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
> Cc: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, scifinoir_...@yahoogroups.com, "'CINQUE'" 
> , ggs...@yahoo.com, "'Sincere'" 
> 
> Date: Sunday, February 1, 2009, 8:08 AM
> 
> This guy clearly did his research. :P
> 
> He omitted Black Lightning, for one.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
>  Subject : [scifinoir2] Is It Time for a Black Comic Book Superhero?
>  Date : Sat, 31 Jan 2009 20:20:08 -0800
>  From : "Tracey de Morsella"
> 
>  To :
> , ,
> "'CINQUE'"
> , , "'Sincere'"
> 
> 
> 
> Captain Obama ... Is It Time for a Black Comic Book Superhero?
> 
> 
> Tuesday , January 27, 2009
> 
> 
> By S.E. Cupp
> 
> 
> Barack Obama has appeared in at least two comic series since his arrival on
> the national stage.
> 
> Back in September the superhero Savage Dragon took it upon himself to
> endorse Obama for president, and days before his inauguration, Spider-Man
> saved the day for the 44th president by defeating an Obama imposter.
> 
> While Savage Dragon is an overly muscular green humanoid, Spider-Man is a
> real, live human being. And, like Superman and Batman and Captain America
> and Flash and Wonder Woman, the Web Crawler has a common trait among comic
> strip superheroes:
> 
> He's white.
> 
> Since their inception, there have been only a few black superheroes in comic
> books, and fewer still have achieved mainstream appeal.
> 
> But Obama's rise to the presidency now has many people in the business of
> creating and marketing heroes hoping that a black superhero will finally
> break into mainstream pop culture.
> 
> Marvel Comics, home of Spider-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man and the X-Men, is
> keeping up with the times. The company recently announced the untold story
> of the first Marvel superhero of color in the "Adam: Legend of the Blue
> Marvel" project. The Black Panther, another Marvel mainstay, will undergo
> a
> life-altering new storyline and will be featured in an animated series.
> 
> Whether any of these developments will mean more big screen time for black
> superheroes will be up to Marvel readers. "While we're always looking
> to
> represent characters from all walks of life, at the end of the day the most
> important thing is crafting good stories - that's what people are going to
> respond to," said executive editor Tom Brevoort.
> 
> That reader response, for black comic artists in particular, could carry
> larger sociological implications.
> 
> "I figure, the more you see us in a different light, the more doors that
> open up for African-Americans," says Jerry Craft, the award-winning
> creator
> of the Mama's Boyz comic strip, which chronicles the life of an
> African-American woman raising two teenage sons. The strip has been
> syndicated by King Features since 1995.
> 
> Craft is one of three black comic-strip artists who offered FOXNews.com
> exclusive drawings of what they would like a black superhero to look like.
> 
> . Click  here to see
> images of the new superheroes.
> 
> "Hopefully seeing us as more positive members of the community, and not
> just
> the people you see on the news or 'Cops,' will get them to expand their
> horizons to include us," said Craft, who has worked for Marvel and Harvey
> Comics and was editorial director at Sports Illustrated for Kids.
> 
> . RELATED:  What
> leading artists, authors and editors say about the absence of black
> superheroes and President Obama's possible impact.
> 
> The first black superhero was Marvel's Black Panther, who showed up in a
> 1966 Fantastic Four story and has gained some popularity. Another Marvel
> character, Blade, earned big-market attention when Wesley Snipes personified
> him in a film version of the comic. Some characters have vacillated between
> races - both Spawn and Catwoman were black in certain iterations, white in
> others. And characters like Storm, Luke Cage, Static, and Bishop have
> enjoyed a certain level of celebrity, but not the kind that has netted
> others their own big-budget Hollywood films.
> 
> But with Obama establishing a new role model for blacks in America,
> traditional depictions of blacks in popular culture could get a makeover,
> said culture critic David Horowitz.
> 
> "I think having a black president will have a positive impact on black
> images in the popular culture and will mo

Re: [scifinoir2] Genre Shows Going, Going ... Gone?

[KeithBJohnson]

Too bad about Sarah Connor and Life on Mars, both good shows.  A show that's 
obviously staying I don't get is "The Mentalist". I tried to watch "The 
Mentalist" a couple of times, and just didn't get all the raves. It's highly 
rated, gets praise, but I thought it was only okay. A bit obvious and 
self-important. Frankly, I prefer the humorous take on observational prowess 
depicted in "Psych".


 -- Original message --
From: "Tracey de Morsella" 
> 
> Genre Shows Going, Going ... Gone?
> 
> 
> By MICHAEL HINMAN
> Jan-31-2009
>   ShareThis
> 
> Michael Ausiello over at Entertainment Weekly has shared some bad news for
> fans of "Kyle XY." The ABC Family show is calling it quits after its current
> run of episodes, but there could be other genre shows close behind.
> 
> Over the past week, SyFy Portal has been talking to various studio sources
> trying to get a handle on whether genre fans will have a chance to continue
> seeing a ton of program in 2009-10, or if there will be a bloodbath coming
> up.
> 
> So if you're curious about whether your show is going or gone ... here's the
> latest.
> 
> Fringe (Fox)
> STATUS: Staying
> 
> Fox has had nothing but praise for the latest outing from J.J. Abrams and
> the other masterminds behind the upcoming "Star Trek XI," and while ratings
> haven't been homerun-ish like "House 
> ," they've been enough to celebrate.
> 
> There was some fear about what might happen to the show when "House" was
> removed as its lead-in, but "American Idol" has been much better for the
> show, where overnight audiences have jumped 34 percent since the change. 
> 
> And while "Fringe" did get its best rating following the season premiere of
> "House" before quickly falling back down to where it had been tracking, the
> second episode coming out of "American Idol" has done just as strong, losing
> less than 3 percent of its previous week's audience. 
> 
> Heroes (NBC)
> STATUS: Staying
> 
> It might be easy to write the obituary of "Heroes," but NBC still remains
> committed to the show. Network executives are hoping that some of the house
> cleaning they did late last year moving out some producers and making room
> for some familiar faces like Bryan Fuller will be just what's needed to help
> the show regain its spark.
> 
> Even if ratings don't improve too much on the upcoming volume that begins
> Monday, NBC isn't concerned. Most of their changes came late in the game on
> this season, and unless there is just a huge implosion, executives seem to
> be interested in giving "Heroes" at least 13 more episodes after that.
> 
> Knight Rider (NBC)
> STATUS: Going
> 
> We are hearing a lot of chatter that NBC is just not happy with how "Knight
> Rider" turned out. Despite the objections of its executive producer, Gary
> Scott Thompson, the network cleaned house there and retooled the series.
> 
> On top of that, there seems to be a lot of heated communications between the
> show and the network, which could end up with a leadership change if the
> network decides to continue the series past the first season.
> 
> But that doesn't seem likely. "Knight Rider" is far more expensive to
> produce than "Bionic Woman" was, and it can't even come close to the
> audience that "Bionic Woman" drew.
> 
> NBC is already taking drastic steps to cut expenses and clean out its
> schedule -- like putting Jay Leno on five nights a week in the 10 p.m. slot
> -- so it seems highly unlikely they will make the room for "Knight Rider."
> 
> Life On Mars (ABC)
> STATUS: Going
> 
> Sadly, life doesn't look good for "Life On Mars" either. Despite SyFy
> Portal's own pleas to bring viewers to this show, it doesn't seem to be
> happening.
> 
> ABC had hoped putting "Life On Mars" as the "Lost" lead-out would work, but
> for some reason, no show has ever been able to survive as a lead-out from
> "Lost."
> 
> And now it seems "Life On Mars" could be the next victim. The show lost a
> quarter of its audience in the move, and right now it needs to retain every
> single eyeball it can. If the ratings don't bounce back this coming week,
> then Sam Tyler is as good as dead.
> 
> The Middleman (ABC Family)
> STATUS: Gone
> 
> ABC Family never seemed to be very keen about this show, and it's probably
> not a surprise. Trying to find something to excite the audience it drew with
> "Kyle XY," this quirky drama seemed like the best fit.
> 
> And while "The Middleman" is a hit with die-hard genre fans, it has not
> appealed to a wide audience.
> 
> Fans have been waiting months for a decision on whether or not there will be
> a second season, but that silence has spoke volumes. "The Middleman's" ride
> is over.
> 
> Pushing Daisies (ABC)
> STATUS: Gone
> 
> No one knows what happened here. "Pushing Daisies" has remained a darling of
> critics across the board, and have done nothing but heap praise on the show,
> even in its second season. But for some reason,

RE: [scifinoir2] Re: Leverage and the paradigm of the black technology geek

[KeithBJohnson]

He was in the two-part "Supernatural" ep where Sam and other people gifted (or 
cursed) with powers were gathered together by a demon. The demon forced the 
people to fight each other to the death, threatening to kill their loved ones 
if they refused. The survivor was going to be his righthand man. Hodge played a 
former Iraqi invasion veteran who was gifted with superhuman strength. He 
fought Sam when they were the last two standing,  after the demon threatened to 
kill his family in the most horrendous fashion possible. Despite his superiour 
strength, Sam defeated him pretty easily (Sam and Dean are trained fighters, 
with years of demon hunting). All the while Sam's yelling "we don't have to do 
this!", trying his best to fight the demon's designs to turn them into killers. 
To that end, Sam refused to kill his downed opponent. Then, while buddy was 
lying on the ground Dean runs up to see if Sam's okay. Sam turns to face Dean, 
at which point buddy stabs him in the back, then runs off l
ike a punk!  I was not happy with that move, making the Brother use such a 
cowardly tactic!

At any rate, Sam's death led to the storyline where Dean sold his soul to a 
demoness to bring Sam back, and after a year, Dean was taken to Hell. He spent 
several *decades* being ceaselessly tortured in the time-bending demesne, 
before finally being broken. Apparently Dean then spent years torturing the 
souls of other hapless beings sent to Hell. The full extent of what he did 
hasn't been revealed, but his growing drinking and reckless behaviour are 
results of the horrors he endured and inflicted during those years.


 -- Original message --
From: "Tracey de Morsella" 
> Alec Hardison was a foster kid, the story of his coming to be a foster kid
> has yet to be determined. Fortunately, we do know Alec had a loving yet
> hard-nosed foster mom.  From the Leverage Wiki
> 
> They did not start giving the characters back stories until the third
> episode and there are five aired.  However, we've only been given that much
> info about the other characters (not including Bottoms).  In fact we know
> less about the English woman or Christian Kane's character.  We learned
> about Hardison and the Blond girl while they were rescuing orphans in the
> former Soviet Union.  They used that as an excuse to introduce their back
> story and since then this connection is raised repeatedly.   I get the
> impression that they are going to use back stories in part to drive the
> characters.  After the pilot the story seems to become relationship driven
> and it is hard to have relationships without backstory 
> 
> So, I'm not saying that there is no truth to your Black Tech geek theory,
> but that there are signs that they are also deviating from that formula at
> the same time.
> 
> I think you should watch more than the pilot before reaching any
> conclusions.  I think when you see a few more episodes, you will see that
> you are right and wrong...  I think  :-)   .
> 
> By the way,  I read the actor did two episodes of Supernatural.  I have not
> watched it in a while.  Has anyone seen him in it?
> -Original Message-
> From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of ravenadal
> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 10:12 AM
> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Leverage and the paradigm of the black technology
> geek
> 
> "Snow Job."  So, tell me, what is his back story?  
> 
> --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Justin Mohareb  
> wrote:
> >
> > Which episode was it?
> > 
> > Because you're really mis-reading Hardison based on it.
> > 
> > Justin
> > 
> > On Sun, Feb 1, 2009 at 12:21 PM, ravenadal  wrote:
> > > I just saw my first episode of Timothy Hutton's new TNT series
> > > "Leverage." "Leverage" is what you would get if you artificially
> > > inseminated "Mission:Impossible!" with "Oceans Eleven." I like it 
> and
> > > have scheduled my DVR to record future episodes but I feel 
> compelled
> > > to mention that the lone black regular character, Alec Hardison 
> (Aldis
> > > Hodge), like IM's Barney Collier (Gregg Morris)and Luther Stickell
> > > (Ving Rhames)- heck, like Hogan Heroe Sgt. James 'Kinch' Kinchloe 
> (the
> > > late great Ivan Dixon), both completes and depletes me.
> > >
> > > On one hand, all are self-contained, obviously well educated,
> > > articulate electronics experts. On the other hand, all are given
> > > precious little to do. While the other, primarily white cast mates
> > > get to cavort about wearing masks and assuming other identities, 
> the
> > > lone black technology geek is tethered to his computers and his
> > > listening devices. More often than not their electronic wizardry 
> saves
> > > the day but they rarely get any of the glory.
> > >
> > > In short, our hero gets to witness the pageantry but rarely gets 
> to
> > > participate in it. While there is plenty of interaction between 
> most
> > > of the w

Re: [scifinoir2] Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams

[KeithBJohnson]

I think the movie will be good. It'll be a reimagining, it might not make me 
fall in love with it, but it'll be entertaining space opera. Abrams can do 
action scenes like no one, and the flick won't be boring. Now, will it be *my* 
Star Trek, will it make me fall in love with his direction? Don't know...
A couple of things he's said make me wonder. I read an interview where Abrams 
said that Trek lost the real core of Trek with later movies. He seemed to feel 
that DS9, Voyager, and the rest weren't "true* Star Trek, that the OS and TNG 
were closer to Roddenberry's spirit. I guess he felt those later shows were too 
dark, too serious, and had lost the sense of "wow" and fun he wanted. I was 
also slightly concerned when he said in this interview that Star Wars peopled 
its world with aliens so well. Frankly, i always thought the way so many 
queer-looking aliens kept showing up in Lucas' work was a little distracting in 
time.

Oh well. Like I said, I bet it'll be entertaining. But whether it will be a new 
take on an old franchise that I can fully embrace (like Batman Begins and The 
Dark Knight), or a reimagining that I can enjoy at a distance but not accept as 
the "real" deal (like the Mission Impossible movies) remains to be seen.

Either way, Lord willing, I'll be there on opening day...


 -- Original message --
From: "brent wodehouse" 
> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2008715939_startrek08.html
> 
> Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams
> 
> "Lost" director J.J. Abrams is directing the new "Star Trek" movie, due in
> May. In a recent interview, he talks about the challenges of taking on a
> franchise with a rabid fan base.
> 
> By Geoff Boucher; By Geoff Boucher
> 
> Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Times
> 
> 
> HOLLYWOOD - "Star Trek" will be back in May with the 11th film in a
> pop-culture franchise that has inspired one of the most impassioned fan
> followings imaginable. TV whiz J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Fringe") is the
> director, but some fans have questioned the choice. After all, he was 2
> months old when "Trek" launched its first mission in 1966. Abrams recently
> talked about the challenges of his deep-space mission.
> 
> Q: As franchises move into new eras, it's interesting to watch how they
> change - or don't change. With "Star Trek," you seem to be pursuing a
> revival like we've seen with Batman and James Bond, which holds on to core
> mythology but recalibrates the tone.
> 
> A: I think I benefited because I came into this movie as someone who
> appreciated "Star Trek" but wasn't an insane fanatic about it. The
> disadvantage is, I didn't know everything I needed to know immediately at
> the beginning and had to learn it.
> 
> The advantage, though, is I could look at "Star Trek" as a whole a little
> bit more like a typical moviegoer would see it; it allowed me to seize the
> things that I felt were truly the most iconic and important aspects of the
> original series and yet not be serving the master and trying to be true to
> every arcane detail. It let me look at the things I knew were critical.
> 
> Q: What are some of the things that made that "critical" list?
> 
> A: The characters were the most important thing in it. We needed to be
> true to the spirit of those characters. There were certain iconic things -
> if you're going to do "Star Trek," you've got to do the Enterprise and it
> has to look like the Enterprise ... You have to do costumes that feel like
> the costumes people know. You have to be able to glance at it and know
> what that is. Even the text, the font of "Star Trek" has to look like what
> you know.
> 
> The phasers, the communicators, the Starfleet logo - there are all these
> things that are the touchstones, the tenets of what makes "Star Trek"
> "Star Trek." If you're going to do this series, those are things you don't
> mess with.
> 
> Q: You know that no matter what you do, you'll get an earful from
> hard-core fans.
> 
> A: The key is to appreciate that there are purists and fans of "Star Trek"
> who are going to be very vocal if they see things that aren't what they
> want. But I can't make this movie for readers of Nacelles Monthly who are
> only concerned with what the ship's engines look like. They're going to
> find something they hate no matter what I do.
> 
> And yet, the movie at its core is not only inspired by what has come
> before, it's deeply true to what's come before. ... It will be evident
> when people see this movie that it is true to what (Gene) Roddenberry
> created and what those amazing actors did in the 1960s. At the same time,
> I think, it's going to blow people's minds because it's a completely
> different experience.
> 
> Q: In the footage you showed at the Paramount lot, I was really struck by
> the comedic touches.
> 
> A: Yeah, among the kind of anecdotal critiques I read online, some people
> said, "Oh, look at this, they're trying to sex it up" by having Kirk i

[scifinoir2] Re: Is DC Comics dying?

[ravenadal]

I remember when DC was the colossus and Marvel was the scrappy 
underdog.  Back in those halcyon days I hated everything DC and 
secretly plotted their demise.  Forty years later, to hear DC Comics 
is dying makes me feel...giddy!

Later, the Brain and I are going to do the same thing we do every 
night — try to take over the world!

~rave!

--- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Martin Baxter" 
 wrote:
>
> Grant Morrison seems to think so.
> 
> They haven't posted the article from Wizard that I read this 
afternoon on the web site, so it falls to me to quote it. When asked 
about his work on "Final Crisis" (the ending in particular, and what 
he hopes fans will take away from the conclusion of the story), he 
says, "I hope they''ll take away a sense of how much they love the DC 
universe. Because there are the two camps... and Marvel is a colossus 
right now. To me, the DC Universe dying is almost how it felt to be at 
DC. There was just a sense that Marvel was just getting bigger and 
bigger and bigger."
> 
> I don't agree with that at all.
> 
> IMO, Marvel has al but sold out its readers, with cheap and gimmicky 
plotlines that aren't likely to last more than two years before being 
retconned right out of existence, leaving nothing short of a 
continuity mess. DC, on the other hand, is bringing about "Final 
Crisis", almost to the letter as it was destined to happen thirty-odd 
years ago. 
> 
> I put my brain to the task of remembering exactly what books I'd 
picked up in the last six months, and they've been 95% DC, only 
Fantastic Four as a Marvel representative. But that's just me. 
> 
> Thrash on this.
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
>

Re: [scifinoir2] Is DC Comics dying?

[KeithBJohnson]

I've been the opposite, admittedly getting sucked into Civil War, Secret 
Invasion, The Reigning (Thor's alternate future takeover of the Earth), Dark 
Reign (the post Secret Invasion sitch with Norman Osborn in charge of what used 
to be SHIELD).  Even (gasp!) Brand New Day, the execrable retcon of Spider-Man 
history where Mephisto erased Peter and Mary Jane's marriage from reality. I 
have liked some of the ways the Marvel characters are being used, especially 
bringing Luke Cage and Black Panther front and center, taking the bold move of 
marrying Orroro and T'Challa, making the return of Bucky as the Winter Soldier 
actually work (and later, the new Cap), etc. Some of their moves I've hated: 
killing Captain America, the new direction of the X-Men, everything Spider-Man. 
But it's kept me interested. I even like Spider-Girl!

By the same token, however, I've enjoyed DC's work, especially with Batman, the 
Batman/Superman book, and Trinity. I do not care for the return of Golden Age 
Superman things, like all the Kryptonians, all the Krytonite rock lying around, 
etc. Or maybe I've been too focused on Marvel to really get into it. My feeling 
has always been that DC sometimes has deeper storylines but for fewer 
charactes, while Marvel may have a broader range of stories that may not be as 
deep, but suck people into more books.

 -- Original message --
From: "Martin Baxter" 
> Grant Morrison seems to think so.
> 
> They haven't posted the article from Wizard that I read this afternoon on the 
> web site, so it falls to me to quote it. When asked about his work on "Final 
> Crisis" (the ending in particular, and what he hopes fans will take away from 
> the conclusion of the story), he says, "I hope they''ll take away a sense of 
> how 
> much they love the DC universe. Because there are the two camps... and Marvel 
> is 
> a colossus right now. To me, the DC Universe dying is almost how it felt to 
> be 
> at DC. There was just a sense that Marvel was just getting bigger and bigger 
> and 
> bigger."
> 
> I don't agree with that at all.
> 
> IMO, Marvel has al but sold out its readers, with cheap and gimmicky 
> plotlines 
> that aren't likely to last more than two years before being retconned right 
> out 
> of existence, leaving nothing short of a continuity mess. DC, on the other 
> hand, 
> is bringing about "Final Crisis", almost to the letter as it was destined to 
> happen thirty-odd years ago. 
> 
> I put my brain to the task of remembering exactly what books I'd picked up in 
> the last six months, and they've been 95% DC, only Fantastic Four as a Marvel 
> representative. But that's just me. 
> 
> Thrash on this.
> 
> 
> 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds

--- Begin Message ---














   Grant Morrison seems to think so.They haven't posted the article from Wizard that I read this afternoon on the web site, so it falls to me to quote it. When asked about his work on "Final Crisis" (the ending in particular, and what he hopes fans will take away from the conclusion of the story), he says, "I hope they''ll take away a sense of how much they love the DC universe. Because there are the two camps... and Marvel is a colossus right now. To me, the DC Universe dying is almost how it felt to be at DC. There was just a sense that Marvel was just getting bigger and bigger and bigger."I don't agree with that at all.IMO, Marvel has al but sold out its readers, with cheap and gimmicky plotlines that aren't likely to last more than two years before being retconned right out !
 of existence, leaving nothing short of a continuity mess. DC, on the other hand, is bringing about "Final Crisis", almost to the letter as it was destined to happen thirty-odd years ago. I put my brain to the task of remembering exactly what books I'd picked up in the last six months, and they've been 95% DC, only Fantastic Four as a Marvel representative. But that's just me. Thrash on this.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds



 

  


	
	
	

--- End Message ---

Re: [scifinoir2] Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams

[Dax]

I am a fan of Star Trek. I will have to say based on the small clips that I 
have seen it will be different then anything of the original cast I have 
seen. Even thought I would have wanted the other shows to have a shot, I 
will wait and see what this one is all about before judgment is passed. Who 
knows this might be the reboot this series needs.
--Lavender
People may lie, but the evidence rarely does.

--
From: "brent wodehouse" 
Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 4:56 PM
To: 
Subject: [scifinoir2] Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams

> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2008715939_startrek08.html
>
> Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams
>
> "Lost" director J.J. Abrams is directing the new "Star Trek" movie, due in
> May. In a recent interview, he talks about the challenges of taking on a
> franchise with a rabid fan base.
>
> By Geoff Boucher; By Geoff Boucher
>
> Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Times
>
>
> HOLLYWOOD - "Star Trek" will be back in May with the 11th film in a
> pop-culture franchise that has inspired one of the most impassioned fan
> followings imaginable. TV whiz J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Fringe") is the
> director, but some fans have questioned the choice. After all, he was 2
> months old when "Trek" launched its first mission in 1966. Abrams recently
> talked about the challenges of his deep-space mission.
>
> Q: As franchises move into new eras, it's interesting to watch how they
> change - or don't change. With "Star Trek," you seem to be pursuing a
> revival like we've seen with Batman and James Bond, which holds on to core
> mythology but recalibrates the tone.
>
> A: I think I benefited because I came into this movie as someone who
> appreciated "Star Trek" but wasn't an insane fanatic about it. The
> disadvantage is, I didn't know everything I needed to know immediately at
> the beginning and had to learn it.
>
> The advantage, though, is I could look at "Star Trek" as a whole a little
> bit more like a typical moviegoer would see it; it allowed me to seize the
> things that I felt were truly the most iconic and important aspects of the
> original series and yet not be serving the master and trying to be true to
> every arcane detail. It let me look at the things I knew were critical.
>
> Q: What are some of the things that made that "critical" list?
>
> A: The characters were the most important thing in it. We needed to be
> true to the spirit of those characters. There were certain iconic things -
> if you're going to do "Star Trek," you've got to do the Enterprise and it
> has to look like the Enterprise ... You have to do costumes that feel like
> the costumes people know. You have to be able to glance at it and know
> what that is. Even the text, the font of "Star Trek" has to look like what
> you know.
>
> The phasers, the communicators, the Starfleet logo - there are all these
> things that are the touchstones, the tenets of what makes "Star Trek"
> "Star Trek." If you're going to do this series, those are things you don't
> mess with.
>
> Q: You know that no matter what you do, you'll get an earful from
> hard-core fans.
>
> A: The key is to appreciate that there are purists and fans of "Star Trek"
> who are going to be very vocal if they see things that aren't what they
> want. But I can't make this movie for readers of Nacelles Monthly who are
> only concerned with what the ship's engines look like. They're going to
> find something they hate no matter what I do.
>
> And yet, the movie at its core is not only inspired by what has come
> before, it's deeply true to what's come before. ... It will be evident
> when people see this movie that it is true to what (Gene) Roddenberry
> created and what those amazing actors did in the 1960s. At the same time,
> I think, it's going to blow people's minds because it's a completely
> different experience.
>
> Q: In the footage you showed at the Paramount lot, I was really struck by
> the comedic touches.
>
> A: Yeah, among the kind of anecdotal critiques I read online, some people
> said, "Oh, look at this, they're trying to sex it up" by having Kirk in
> bed with a girl or Uhura undressing, and they said, "Oh, that's not 'Star
> Trek.' " Other people wrote, "Oh, there's comedy in it, that's not 'Star
> Trek' I know."
>
> Look, if you actually watch the show, that show was always pushing buttons
> all the time and was considered very sexy for its time. It had (a
> landmark) interracial kiss on television, and it was a show that was
> sexually adventurous. And it was very funny.
>
> Q: Last time I saw you, you mentioned there would be a tribble in the
> movie. That's fun.
>
> A: Yes! There is a tribble in there. But you have to look for it. And
> there's that other surprise I told you about, but please don't write about
> that.
>
> Q: I won't, I won't, I promised. There's plenty of other stuff to talk
> about. I'm fascinated by the challenge facing

[scifinoir2] Think you're stressed? Battlestar Galactica actress Katee Sackhoff had to fend of

[brent wodehouse]

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Think+stressed+Battlestar+Galactica+actress+Katee+Sackhoff+fend+crazed+evil+Cylon/1261952/story.html

Think you're stressed? Battlestar Galactica actress Katee Sackhoff had to
fend off a sex-crazed evil Cylon

By Kat Angus, Canwest News Service

February 6, 2009


"You'll have to excuse me, I'm on the treadmill," Katee Sackhoff says, a
little breathlessly.

The Battlestar Galactica actress is pushing herself to get into shape for
her latest gig, playing a tempestuous police officer on Dick Wolf's
upcoming cop drama, Lost and Found. After four seasons on Battlestar as
the tough, physically intimidating Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, relentlessly
fighting to save the human race from extinction, one might think Sackhoff
would be used to intense workouts by now. But, the actress says, her new
regime is far more intense than anything she did for the hit sci-fi series.

"I didn't want Starbuck to be completely ripped. This is a girl who drinks
most of her calories, so she was in extremely good physical condition but
I didn't want her to look like a skinny person," the 28-year-old explains.
"This new role that I'm doing, she's a police officer who's a little
nutso, so the workouts . . . well, they got stepped up a little bit."

But regardless of the physical requirements of her new job, few things can
match the emotional demands of Battlestar. Over the course of the show,
Starbuck has experienced countless hardships including, but not limited
to, being marooned on a deserted planet, being held captive by evil Cylon
scientists intent on harvesting her ovaries, being held captive by an evil
Cylon intent on starting a family with her, marrying the wrong man, dying,
ostensibly coming back from the dead, leading the human race to a barren,
useless Earth and discovering her own charred corpse in the wilderness.
Bummer. Through it all, Sackhoff has played one of television's most
complex, ever-evolving characters.

"We saw someone, in the beginning, who was willing to die for everyone
around her because she didn't value her own life. At the end, we have a
character who values existence so much that she's willing to die for other
people," Sackhoff says. "That's a huge change. It changes everything
Starbuck does. It makes her compassionate and it makes her circumstances
more tragic."

Unsurprisingly, Starbuck went through so much over Battlestar's four
seasons that it began to bleed over into Sackhoff's life.

"Towards the end, it was difficult. I took it home with me. It's something
I've been proud of myself to not do for so long, but I finally did and it
was hard. I said to my boyfriend, 'Why am I so depressed all the time?'
And he was like, 'Because you're playing this character 22 hours a day
who's completely out of her mind,'" Sackhoff remembers. "We were doing
such long hours on the show and she was so much all over the place that it
required more of my, I don't know, heart and soul - more stamina - to
actually be able to do that."

Shooting the last few episodes of the show was especially tough on
Sackhoff - in addition to the long hours and emotionally gruelling scenes,
she began feeling physically weaker; soon after filming wrapped, she was
diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

"Luckily for me, and the people that get it, it's a 99 per cent success
rate if you catch it in time because it's a contained cancer. So you take
out the thyroid and you're OK," she says. "I didn't have to do the
radiation, which was great."

Still, the diagnosis was enough to give Sackhoff pause.

"When you hear a doctor say to you that you have cancer, even if the words
right after it are 'one of the most curable cancers,' you don't hear that.
You're like, 'Oh, my God, I have cancer,'" she admits. "It makes you
re-evaluate what's important in life and I did a lot of soul-searching
and, you know, things change when you're confronted with your own
mortality, I think."

If anything, Sackhoff says, her brush with death made her even more
satisfied of the work she's done on Battlestar Galactica. She's reached a
place she couldn't have imagined when the show first premiered, when fans
of the original 1970s series condemned the idea of a female Starbuck.

"At the start, I was young; I was stupid. I let the fact that people
questioned whether or not a woman could play a man's role dictate how I
was going to play her," Sackhoff recalls. "Now, I think, personally, I
feel proud of the performances I gave on a weekly basis. I did what they
hired me to do."

Sackhoff's performance was so successful, in fact, that aside from
becoming a fan favourite, she is now frequently sought out to play other
powerful women - her new role on Lost and Found, for instance, as well as
the morally ambiguous Sarah Corvus on NBC's now-cancelled Bionic Woman.
However, Sackhoff denies being typecast.

"I would rather by typecast as an independent, strong woman than go to
work with fake tits up to my chin and pretend to be the slutty girl," she

[scifinoir2] Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams

[brent wodehouse]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2008715939_startrek08.html

Directing "Star Trek" quite an enterprise for Abrams

"Lost" director J.J. Abrams is directing the new "Star Trek" movie, due in
May. In a recent interview, he talks about the challenges of taking on a
franchise with a rabid fan base.

By Geoff Boucher; By Geoff Boucher

Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Times


HOLLYWOOD - "Star Trek" will be back in May with the 11th film in a
pop-culture franchise that has inspired one of the most impassioned fan
followings imaginable. TV whiz J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Fringe") is the
director, but some fans have questioned the choice. After all, he was 2
months old when "Trek" launched its first mission in 1966. Abrams recently
talked about the challenges of his deep-space mission.

Q: As franchises move into new eras, it's interesting to watch how they
change - or don't change. With "Star Trek," you seem to be pursuing a
revival like we've seen with Batman and James Bond, which holds on to core
mythology but recalibrates the tone.

A: I think I benefited because I came into this movie as someone who
appreciated "Star Trek" but wasn't an insane fanatic about it. The
disadvantage is, I didn't know everything I needed to know immediately at
the beginning and had to learn it.

The advantage, though, is I could look at "Star Trek" as a whole a little
bit more like a typical moviegoer would see it; it allowed me to seize the
things that I felt were truly the most iconic and important aspects of the
original series and yet not be serving the master and trying to be true to
every arcane detail. It let me look at the things I knew were critical.

Q: What are some of the things that made that "critical" list?

A: The characters were the most important thing in it. We needed to be
true to the spirit of those characters. There were certain iconic things -
if you're going to do "Star Trek," you've got to do the Enterprise and it
has to look like the Enterprise ... You have to do costumes that feel like
the costumes people know. You have to be able to glance at it and know
what that is. Even the text, the font of "Star Trek" has to look like what
you know.

The phasers, the communicators, the Starfleet logo - there are all these
things that are the touchstones, the tenets of what makes "Star Trek"
"Star Trek." If you're going to do this series, those are things you don't
mess with.

Q: You know that no matter what you do, you'll get an earful from
hard-core fans.

A: The key is to appreciate that there are purists and fans of "Star Trek"
who are going to be very vocal if they see things that aren't what they
want. But I can't make this movie for readers of Nacelles Monthly who are
only concerned with what the ship's engines look like. They're going to
find something they hate no matter what I do.

And yet, the movie at its core is not only inspired by what has come
before, it's deeply true to what's come before. ... It will be evident
when people see this movie that it is true to what (Gene) Roddenberry
created and what those amazing actors did in the 1960s. At the same time,
I think, it's going to blow people's minds because it's a completely
different experience.

Q: In the footage you showed at the Paramount lot, I was really struck by
the comedic touches.

A: Yeah, among the kind of anecdotal critiques I read online, some people
said, "Oh, look at this, they're trying to sex it up" by having Kirk in
bed with a girl or Uhura undressing, and they said, "Oh, that's not 'Star
Trek.' " Other people wrote, "Oh, there's comedy in it, that's not 'Star
Trek' I know."

Look, if you actually watch the show, that show was always pushing buttons
all the time and was considered very sexy for its time. It had (a
landmark) interracial kiss on television, and it was a show that was
sexually adventurous. And it was very funny.

Q: Last time I saw you, you mentioned there would be a tribble in the
movie. That's fun.

A: Yes! There is a tribble in there. But you have to look for it. And
there's that other surprise I told you about, but please don't write about
that.

Q: I won't, I won't, I promised. There's plenty of other stuff to talk
about. I'm fascinated by the challenge facing your captain. Chris Pine has
the biggest acting dilemma of 2009: How do you play James T. Kirk without
imitating William Shatner?

A: Totally. I think all of the actors have a similar challenge. We lucked
out on "Star Trek" with the production designer, the costume designer, the
visual effects, the composer - everywhere you look on this production we
lucked out and got the people doing the best work in the business. ... But
I have to say that the place where I could not be more grateful or amazed
is with the cast.

The reason that it works - or the reason I believe it is working - is that
I and people who have seen it have walked away feeling that these are the
characters. There's a transition that happens. It's a weird thing. It's
not that you will ever 

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Leverage Renewed

[Martin Baxter]

No comparison there. I'll take "Hustle" any day of the week. The anti-hero 
angle in "Leverage" is fun, but there's nothign quite as fun as seeing the bad 
guys just cutting loose. And "Hustle" came up with a few "shell-in-shell" 
scenarios that kept me jumping.





-[ Received Mail Content ]--

 Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Leverage Renewed

 Date : Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:58:00 +

 From : keithbjohn...@comcast.net

 To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com


How do you like "Leverage" compared to the British series "Hustle"? I enjoyed 
that show, it had a black man in the lead-and a very good actor to boot. 
Doesn't seem to have ever really caught on in America during its run...


 -- Original message --
From: "Martin Baxter" 
> To quote Hubert Farnsworth, "Good news, everyone!"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
> 
> Subject : [scifinoir2] Leverage Renewed
> 
> Date : Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:35:16 -0800
> 
> From : "Tracey de Morsella" 
> 
> To : 
> 
> 
> NT has renewed its hit heist dramedy "Leverage" for a second season.
> 
> The cable network announced on Monday (Feb. 2) that it has ordered an
> additional 15 "Leverage" episodes slated to begin later in 2009.
> 
> Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge
> star as a group of sometime-crooks now doing the Robin Hood thing as they
> right corporate misdeeds. "Leverage" premiered to an audience of 5.6 million
> viewers back in December and has averaged 3.2 million viewers through its
> first season.
> 
> "We're thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to
> 'Leverage' and made the show a solid hit," TNT programming head Michael
> Wright says. "We look forward to another great season of fun and exciting
> storylines brought to life by the outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton,
> and the incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean
> Devlin and John Rogers."
> 
> In addition to Devlin and Rogers, "Leverage" is also executive produced by
> Chris Downey. 
> 
> The series has reliably ranked as ad-supported cable's #1 entertainment
> program in its Tuesday 10 p.m. ET slot.
> 
> "We had an amazing experience shooting the first season of 'Leverage' with
> such a talented cast and crew and with the full support of TNT behind us,"
> Devlin says. "We can't wait to get to work on season two and take viewers on
> another adventure with Nate and his team."
> 
> http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-2-2-tnt-renews-leverage/
> 
> 
> 
> 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds

[RE][scifinoir2] RAHM vs. ROM!

[Martin Baxter]

Which is exactly why President Obama hired him. A clean-up man with punch...





-[ Received Mail Content ]--

 Subject : [scifinoir2] RAHM vs. ROM!

 Date : Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:53:40 -

 From : "ravenadal" 

 To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com


I read this in Friday's Chicago Tribune but I LOVE this website where
I found a link to the article. Check it out.

~rave!

http://sanctumsanctorumcomix.blogspot.com/2009/02/rom-in-white-house.html

Written by Christopher Borrelli (mild mannered Tribune Reporter - and
possible comic-book geek) this 3/4-page "tale of the tape"
side-by-side comparison of the new White House Chief-of-Staff and the
Silver Spaceknight is a tongue-in-cheek fluff piece.

Still... it's FREAKIN' ROM! In a Major Metropolitan Newspaper!
ROM!!!




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds

[scifinoir2] RAHM vs. ROM!

[ravenadal]

I read this in Friday's Chicago Tribune but I LOVE this website where
I found a link to the article.  Check it out.

~rave!

http://sanctumsanctorumcomix.blogspot.com/2009/02/rom-in-white-house.html

Written by Christopher Borrelli (mild mannered Tribune Reporter - and
possible comic-book geek) this 3/4-page "tale of the tape"
side-by-side comparison of the new White House Chief-of-Staff and the
Silver Spaceknight is a tongue-in-cheek fluff piece.

Still... it's FREAKIN' ROM! In a Major Metropolitan Newspaper!
ROM!!!

Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Leverage Renewed

[KeithBJohnson]

How do you like "Leverage" compared to the British series "Hustle"? I enjoyed 
that show, it had a black man in the lead-and a very good actor to boot.  
Doesn't seem to have ever really caught on in America during its run...


 -- Original message --
From: "Martin Baxter" 
> To quote Hubert Farnsworth, "Good news, everyone!"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -[ Received Mail Content ]--
> 
>  Subject : [scifinoir2] Leverage Renewed
> 
>  Date : Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:35:16 -0800
> 
>  From : "Tracey de Morsella" 
> 
>  To : 
> 
> 
> NT has renewed its hit heist dramedy "Leverage" for a second season.
> 
> The cable network announced on Monday (Feb. 2) that it has ordered an
> additional 15 "Leverage" episodes slated to begin later in 2009.
> 
> Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge
> star as a group of sometime-crooks now doing the Robin Hood thing as they
> right corporate misdeeds. "Leverage" premiered to an audience of 5.6 million
> viewers back in December and has averaged 3.2 million viewers through its
> first season.
> 
> "We're thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to
> 'Leverage' and made the show a solid hit," TNT programming head Michael
> Wright says. "We look forward to another great season of fun and exciting
> storylines brought to life by the outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton,
> and the incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean
> Devlin and John Rogers."
> 
> In addition to Devlin and Rogers, "Leverage" is also executive produced by
> Chris Downey. 
> 
> The series has reliably ranked as ad-supported cable's #1 entertainment
> program in its Tuesday 10 p.m. ET slot.
> 
> "We had an amazing experience shooting the first season of 'Leverage' with
> such a talented cast and crew and with the full support of TNT behind us,"
> Devlin says. "We can't wait to get to work on season two and take viewers on
> another adventure with Nate and his team."
> 
> http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-2-2-tnt-renews-leverage/
> 
> 
> 
> 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds

--- Begin Message ---













   To quote Hubert Farnsworth, "Good news, everyone!"
-[ Received Mail Content ]--
 Subject : [scifinoir2] Leverage Renewed
 Date : Wed, 4 Feb 2009 01:35:16 -0800
 From : "Tracey de Morsella" aladvantage.com>
 To : ups.com>

NT has renewed its hit heist dramedy "Leverage" for a second season.

The cable network announced on Monday (Feb. 2) that it has ordered an
additional 15 "Leverage" episodes slated to begin later in 2009.

Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge
star as a group of sometime-crooks now doing the Robin Hood thing as they
right corporate misdeeds. "Leverage" premiered to an audience of 5.6 million
viewers back in December and has averaged 3.2 million viewers through its
first season.

"We're thrilled that audiences and critics have responded so positively to
'Leverage' and made the show a solid hit," TNT programming head Michael
Wright says. "We look forward to another great season of fun and exciting
storylines brought to life by the outstanding cast, led by Timothy Hutton,
and the incredible production team, headed up by executive producers Dean
Devlin and John Rogers."

In addition to Devlin and Rogers, "Leverage" is also executive produced by
Chris Downey. 

The series has reliably ranked as ad-supported cable's #1 entertainment
program in its Tuesday 10 p.m. ET slot.

"We had an amazing experience shooting the first season of 'Leverage' with
such a talented cast and crew and with the full support of TNT behind us,"
Devlin says. "We can't wait to get to work on season two and take viewers on
another adventure with Nate and his team."

http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-2-2-tnt-renews-leverage/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds



  


	
	
	

--- End Message ---