[RE][scifinoir2] What's Next, Baby Iron Man?
Keith, ix-nay on the ideas-ay! Seriously, I loathe those Baby shows as well. If the material were meant for consumption by children, then it would've been *aimed* at them ab initio. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] What's Next, Baby Iron Man? Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 05:23:13 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Why oh why do people always feel the need to create young so-and-so shows? There is *nothing* in the Iron Man mythos to support this, yet here NickToons is debuting a new show next month, based on sixteen-year-old boy genius Tony Stark, wielding the power of the armour! And yes, the show has all the regulars like teen Happy Hogan, teen Pepper Potts. There's even a young computer geek Rhodey Rhodes, who stays at home in his room and runs logistics/tactical/computer support for Tony's missions (and who was it saying that Leverage marginalized the brother to nothing but behind-the-scenes support?) And this not-old-enough-to-vote Iron Man (Iron Boy?) will be fighting classic villains like Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, and Living Laser. I guess all the villains will be disaffected youth, alienated from their parents and schoolmates? Gaaah! I've always hated stuff like Baby Looney Toons, Flinstone Kids, that horrible Superbaby back in the day that showed an infant Superman, etc. So I'll avoid this one. Let's just hope they don't follow this up with a show about the infant Iron Baby, flying around in steel diapers, saying stuff like Me need to charge up me armor real quick! http://www.marvel.com/news/moviestories.4184.First_Look~colon~_Iron_Man~colon~_Armored_Adventures First Look: Iron Man: Armored Adventures Animated Series Watch the debut trailer for Shellhead's 2009 animated series right now! Iron Man Iron Man: Armored Adventures launches Marvel's newly crowned box-office king Tony Stark on to the small screen, and in 2009 the first 26 animated episodes will begin airing on Nicktoons. Here's a brief description of this high tech new action adventure series: Mandarin Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation, lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests -- seeing extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries, and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own amazing technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with the duties of a super hero. Iron Man and the Mandarin Duking It Out Inside his remarkable invention, Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure! He is IRON MAN! Although, we are still months away from its Nicktoons television début, you can be the first to see an episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures at the San Diego Comic-Con. Tony Stark Come meet Co-Producer Josh Fine, Head Writer Chris Yost and others involved with this invincible new Iron Man series on Saturday at 10:00am PT in Room 6CDEF. Join Tony, Rhodey and Pepper as they enter a high tech world of science, super-villains, and mystery... and square off against the malevolent MANDARIN! Be sure to come back to Marvel.com to find out the latest Comic-Con related news and sneak peeks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Philip José Farmer dies
(a moment of silence, please...) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Philip José_ Farmer dies Date : Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:44:50 -0500 From : brent wodehouse brent_wodeho...@thefence.us To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com :- Brent Amy Harlib writes: [ mailto:aharlib%40earthlink.net ]ahar...@earthlink.net Philip Jos Farmer dies A real shame. Author Philip Jos Farmer Dies ([ http://sfscope.com/2009/02/author-philip-jos-farmer-dies.html ]http://sfscope.com/2009/02/author-philip-jos-farmer-dies.html) By Ian Randal Strock February 25, 2009 Philip Jos Farmer's web site reports the death of the author peacefully in his sleep in the morning of 25 February 2009. Born 26 January 1918 in Terre Haute, Indiana, Farmer won three Hugo Awards (Most Promising New Talent, 1953; Best Novella [Riders of the Purple Wage], 1968; and Best Novel [To Your Scattered Bodies Go], 1972), the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Grand Master Award (2001), and the World Fantasy Award's Lifetime Achievement Award (2001). Farmer's first short story, O'Brien and Obrenov, appeared in Adventure in March 1946. In 1950, after a twelve-year hiatus (and a break to wash out of the Army Air Corps flight training program), he received his BA in English from Bradley University. In August 1952, Startling Stories published his first science fiction story, The Lovers. Farmer's first published novel was The Green Odyssey, which Ballantine released in 1957. In 1953, however, Farmer's I Owe for the Flesh won the Shasta prize novel contest. And though the prize was never paid, the book was the first in what would become his iconic Riverworld series. That series posits that everyone who has ever lived on Earth, from cavemen to 1984, is resurrected along the banks of a million mile long river. A character dying along the river simply wakes up somewhere else the next day. In these stories, Farmer has characters from any point in history meeting, interacting, and frequently fighting. Farmer also wrote the Dayworld series, in which overpopulation requires that people be placed in suspended animation for six days out of seven, each living but one day, and sharing their homes, jobs, and lives with six other people. Then, of course, there are daybreakers, who live different lives each day of the week. And his World of Tiers series introduced the idea of Pocket Universes, which have different physical laws. In the 1970s, when Farmer was suffering from writer's block, he turned his efforts to writing other people's novels; specifically, he wrote Venus on the Half-Shell by Kurt Vonnegut's fictional Kilgore Trout. He also wrote as Ralph vvon Wau Wau, who came to life on his own when Spider Robinson had him appear in Callahan's Bar. Farmer is survived by his wife, Bette (whom he married in 1941), as well as children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy
Excuse me. I was in the middle of an orgy. I bought and installed 2 TIVO units on my home wireless network last night. While perusing the TIVO site, I spotted something about being able to rent and download movies from Netflix, so I immediately clicked on it! Well, it seems I would need an HD TIVO unit, so that won't work... So I see Amazon downloads. I'm thinking HD there, too, but I go and look. NO HD needed! So I link my TIVO account to my Amazon 1-click account, click on MILITARY movies, and I'm in heaven! I'll be back next week! Do they have TIVO rehab yet? TA -- Hello, my name is Maurice, and I'm a Tivo-holic. I'm also an Amazonaholic, but I already belong to AA because of my drinking! BURP! Seriously, great service! Maurice Maurice C. Jennings Certified Credit Consultant Credit Justice Services FEATURES THE 75 Day Credit Makeover. potential increase of 50 - 100 points in your credit score in 75 days or less! 100% Money Back Guarantee* *Terms and conditions apply Identity Theft Solutions, too! http://www.legacycreditsavers.com http://www.legacycreditsavers.com/ 860-202-1041
[RE][scifinoir2] Hitler Responds to the News of Watchmen's Changed Ending - Spoiler
Never thought I'd find myself in accord with Ol' Schicklgruber... Martin (honroary graduate of Miskatonic U - GO Fighting Cththulies!) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Hitler Responds to the News of Watchmen's Changed Ending - Spoiler Date : Fri, 6 Mar 2009 20:36:18 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net,'Sincere' sincere1...@gmail.com, ggs...@yahoo.com By Annalee Newitz , 6:30 AM on Fri Mar 6 2009, 5,722 views http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/vIhHema5PNg.jpg In the most awesome Watchmen mashup ever, an enterprising fan has used footage from 2004 Hitler movie Downfall to show how fans are responding to news about Watchmen's changed ending. Spoilers! Thanks, Seth Mutchler! Click link below to view video http://io9.com/5165284/hitler-responds-to-the-news-of-watchmens-ending http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy
No excuses necessary, my friend. As long as streaming video of the event is provided... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 08:30:08 -0500 From : Reece Jennings mcjennings...@yahoo.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Excuse me. I was in the middle of an orgy. I bought and installed 2 TIVO units on my home wireless network last night. While perusing the TIVO site, I spotted something about being able to rent and download movies from Netflix, so I immediately clicked on it! Well, it seems I would need an HD TIVO unit, so that won't work... So I see Amazon downloads. I'm thinking HD there, too, but I go and look. NO HD needed! So I link my TIVO account to my Amazon 1-click account, click on MILITARY movies, and I'm in heaven! I'll be back next week! Do they have TIVO rehab yet? TA -- Hello, my name is Maurice, and I'm a Tivo-holic. I'm also an Amazonaholic, but I already belong to AA because of my drinking! BURP! Seriously, great service! Maurice Maurice C. Jennings Certified Credit Consultant Credit Justice Services FEATURES THE 75 Day Credit Makeover. potential increase of 50 - 100 points in your credit score in 75 days or less! 100% Money Back Guarantee* *Terms and conditions apply Identity Theft Solutions, too! http://www.legacycreditsavers.com 860-202-1041 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Heroes Will Live On For Fourth Season
Considering the fact that I have yet to watch more than ten minutes of the season presently running... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Heroes Will Live On For Fourth Season Date : Fri, 6 Mar 2009 20:28:03 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net,ggs...@yahoo.com NBC's Heroes is going to make it to a fourth season after all. There is an upside, though; if reports are true, the season will be shorter than usual. NBC's entertainment president Angela Bromstad confirmed that the network plans to bring the show back for a fourth season yesterday... but admitted that that season was likely to be 18-20 episodes, instead of the usual 23+ episodes required for a season. Bromstad also, according to the Hollywood Reporter, admitted that NBC has discussed setting a date for concluding Heroes , and constructing the remaining episodes with a view to creating an overarching storyline, a la Lost and Battlestar Galactica... all of which sounds like there may be hope for the (admittedly, currently-floundering) show after all. Now I'm even more intrigued to see what impact Bryan Fuller 's return has on the show, when his episodes start airing in a few weeks. NBC: 4dcce677de8d17e05 'Heroes' will continue next season [Hollywood Reporter] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Screw Sam Raimi, This Is The Spider-Man We Want
I've had the honor of seeing about ten eps of this, and I couldn't agree with the writer more. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Screw Sam Raimi, This Is The Spider-Man We Want Date : Fri, 6 Mar 2009 20:19:54 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net,ggs...@yahoo.com Screw Sam Raimi, This Is The Spider-Man We Want By Graeme McMillan , 11:30 AM on Fri Mar 6 2009, 5,083 views http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/spidermanj.jpgMarvel have started streaming the 1970s Japanese Spider-Man TV show on their site, and it's not only not what you'd expect, it's about a million times better. Machine-Gun-Shootin', Giant-Monster-Fightin' Spidey, we love you. We don't know whether it's some strange rights issue or just Marvel.com editors filled with an incredible sense of giving, but you only have to make it as far as the theme music of the show (Eyes sparkle with a flash of anger/Spider-Man !) to realize that this 1978 adaptation of the popular wall-crawler is truly a thing of obscure wonder. Replacing Peter Parker with motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro was just the first inspired move of many - but don't take our word for it; watch for yourself: See episode 1 scroll down New episodes will be posted on Marvel's site every Thursday. Don't ask why, just thank them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Dynamic Tower Skyscraper: Every Floor Self-Rotates, Powered by Wind and Sun
Jeff, I understand you perfectly. And there's an extra chute available, because I'll be outside... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Dynamic Tower Skyscraper: Every Floor Self-Rotates, Powered by Wind and Sun Date : Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:55:42 -0500 From : jmp.space jmp.sp...@verizon.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Freaky is right. I'm aware of existing high rises in kuala lampur and the additional structural issues around wind, sway dampers, and such. And check out Dubai right now below... freaky. re: this dynamic building thing... I like the evolving construction approaches in general but definitely draw the line at the whole rotation amp; reconfig feature. What about the vibration of an entire moving floor. So lets say it worked out to where we'd be 'chillin up there at some point. Then a bump or thud happens. This dude would be headed straight for my trusty parachute. And yes, i'd bail on all-o-yous. Not really.. I'd point to the parachute closet first. grins. -jeff On Mar 3, 2009, at 9:39 PM, Tracey de Morsella wrote: Italian architect David Fisher is building his first skyscraper, the Dynamic Tower, and it happens to be one of the most ambitious construction plans since the Pyramid of Khufu. Every floor of the 80-story self-powered building rotates according to voice command, and nearly the entire structure of the $700 million building is pre-fabbed. I caught up with the architect in New York, and he blew my mind again and again. Fisher was inspired to design the Dynamic Tower during a visit to a friend's top-floor Midtown Manhattan apartment. I had a view of the Hudson River and East River at the same time, it was beautiful and I wanted to make that feeling accessible to more people. He loves the idea of seeing the sun rise and set in the same room, and considers the building to be four-dimensional. Time is always changing the shape of the building, he told me. The rotation takes up to 3 hours (so you're not always spilling your coffee), and gets power from photovoltaic solar cells and 79 wind turbines, one located between each floor. The system is meant to create enough energy to power to the entire tower and still have juice to spare for some surrounding buildings. According to Fisher, two of these $700 million futuristic scrapers are planned so far, one each in Dubai and Moscow. They will be built using a truly radical technique. Construction on the Dynamic Tower will be unlike anything that preceded it. The only part of the tower built on site will be the skinny center core. It is strong enough to hold the floors in place, and will contain the building's elevators, which transport people and cars right to their door. Each floor will be made piece by piece in a factory in Italy—a throwback to Fisher's previous life in prefabricated bathroom design—and placed onto the core using a lift system. With this method, each story is completed in about six days. By comparison, traditional ground-up methods can take six weeks per floor. Groundbreaking for Dynamic Towers in Dubai and Moscow is expected to happen in the fall, with construction reaching completion by the end of 2010. If you're game—and very, very loaded—you can sign up now for a villa or office space. The going rate is $3000/sq foot. [Dynamic Architecture] http://gizmodo.com/5019323/dynamic-tower-skyscraper-every-floor-self+rotates-powered-by-wind-and-sun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight
Why is that? - Original Message - From: Omari Confer clockwork...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:16:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight See the movie first. On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:28 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net wrote: I'm about halfway through the graphic novel, maybe sixty percent. I'm being stubborn and refusing to see the flick before I'm done, which I hope will be Sunday. But it's a very dense read, and I don't typically rush through good stuff. I like to savor my reading, to take it slower than my ability, to reread the same text sometimes two or three times in one sitting, then move forward. Maybe take a day or two off to let my subconscious mull over it. And believe me Watchmen lends itself to some mulling over. It is incredibly layered, chock full of dialogue and innuendo, sadness and sickness. Wow. Can't imagine how much of it will make it to the movie, as even the half of it i've read would require at least 4 hours to do it justice. Still, I have a feeling Snyder has done at least a good summary of the spirit of the book, so I'm looking forward to it. Sunday, hopefully - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Cinque3000 cinque3...@verizon.net , Aradia (Rae) Corenti aradia@gmail.com , ggs...@yahoo.com , Sincere sincere1...@gmail.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 12:19:38 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight Watchmen debuted at 12:01am last night to sold out midnight shows around the country. Variety reports that the much touted superhero movie made $4.6 million in midnight showings, during the wee hours of Friday morning. The movie played at late-night showings in more than 1500 theaters around the country. That’s nearly double what Zack Snyder’s last R-rated fanboy flick, 300 made. That film earned $2.5 million in midnight showings. $4.6 million is a solid number, whether the early attendance of eager fanboys will translate into big weekend numbers remains to be seen. To do it, they’ll need more than the hardcore audience which usually shows up for midnight fangasms. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Watchmen-Earns-4-6-Million-At-Midnight-12262.html http://www.cinemablend.com/images/spacer.gif http://n4403ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gn.cinemablend.com/redirect;adid=212410530;sect=redirect;sz=1x1;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D? -- cwm blog http://centralheatingblog.blogspot.com STRING THEORY http://www.stringtheory.mypodcast.com
[scifinoir2] Re: Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight
The novel is all the things you've mentioned and for that reason you might be disappointed with the movie especially since it's so fresh in your mind. From what I hear the movie is a good adaptation but a lot of the little things that make the book so great gets somewhat lost in translation. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Why is that? - Original Message - From: Omari Confer clockwork...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:16:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight See the movie first. On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:28 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I'm about halfway through the graphic novel, maybe sixty percent. I'm being stubborn and refusing to see the flick before I'm done, which I hope will be Sunday. But it's a very dense read, and I don't typically rush through good stuff. I like to savor my reading, to take it slower than my ability, to reread the same text sometimes two or three times in one sitting, then move forward. Maybe take a day or two off to let my subconscious mull over it. And believe me Watchmen lends itself to some mulling over. It is incredibly layered, chock full of dialogue and innuendo, sadness and sickness. Wow. Can't imagine how much of it will make it to the movie, as even the half of it i've read would require at least 4 hours to do it justice. Still, I have a feeling Snyder has done at least a good summary of the spirit of the book, so I'm looking forward to it. Sunday, hopefully - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella tdli...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Cinque3000 cinque3...@... , Aradia (Rae) Corenti aradia@... , ggs...@... , Sincere sincere1...@... Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 12:19:38 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight Watchmen debuted at 12:01am last night to sold out midnight shows around the country. Variety reports that the much touted superhero movie made $4.6 million in midnight showings, during the wee hours of Friday morning. The movie played at late-night showings in more than 1500 theaters around the country. Thatâs nearly double what Zack Snyderâs last R-rated fanboy flick, 300 made. That film earned $2.5 million in midnight showings. $4.6 million is a solid number, whether the early attendance of eager fanboys will translate into big weekend numbers remains to be seen. To do it, theyâll need more than the hardcore audience which usually shows up for midnight fangasms. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Watchmen-Earns-4-6-Million-At-Midnight-12262.html http://www.cinemablend.com/images/spacer.gif http://n4403ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gn.cinemablend.com/redirect;adid=212410530;sect=redirect;sz=1x1;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D? -- cwm blog http://centralheatingblog.blogspot.com STRING THEORY http://www.stringtheory.mypodcast.com
[scifinoir2] McG Wants Robert Patrick in Next 'Terminator' Film
McG http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/02/mcg-wants-robert-patrick-in-next-term inator-film/ Wants Robert Patrick in Next 'Terminator' Film by Erik Davis http://www.cinematical.com/bloggers/erik-davis/ Mar 2nd 2009 // 5:20PMCinque3000 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.cinematical.com/media/2009/03/patrickterm-%282%29 .jpgWe already brought you a brief recap of the http://www.moviefone.com/movie/terminator-salvation/31561/main Terminator Salvation panel at this http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/01/2009-wondercon-in-60-seconds/ year's Wondercon, but director McG http://www.moviefone.com/celebrity/mcg/1258741/main stuck around to talk shop with a few outlets, including Fearnet http://www.fearnet.com/news/b14862_wondercon_2009_arnold_t_1000_in_mcgs.htm l , who chatted up the possibility of Robert http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001598/ Patrick (aka the T1000 in Terminator 2) returning for the next Terminator film. Well, not only has McG spoken to the actor about making an appearance, but he appears to already have ideas on how to fit a much-older Patrick into the series. He says, I talk to Robert Patrick with great regularity. It's interesting - I was [thinking of] a through line. I'll bounce it off of you guys: I like the idea in a prospective next picture that you meet Robert Patrick the way he looks today, and he's a scientist that's working on improving cell replication so we can stay healthier and we can cure juvenile diabetes and all these things that once again sound like good ideas -- and once again live as an idealized expression of ourselves. So imagine seeing a sixty-year-old Robert Patrick and knowing, 'Holy shit! That's gonna be the T-1000 - who comes back perfect, lean and the whole thing.' I haven't concluded that, but Robert and I had dinner the other night and talked about it. I made two movies with Robert Patrick, so I like him very much. And now he's very heavily into motorcycle riding. He's a really serious guy. But will they all make a sequel? McG notes, Let Memorial Day come. If we all get together and sit at a table like this and you guys give me a kick in the ass and say, 'Go make another one,' I'll deliver Bale and we'll get it done. I'm not sure I'm entirely sold on that idea, but it would be interesting to meet the person the T1000 was based on as a human in the future. What do you think? http://www.cinematical.com/2009/03/02/mcg-wants-robert-patrick-in-next-termi nator-film/ image001.jpg
[scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man?
Well there are two young Iron Men in the mythos: the teenaged Tony Stark that replaced the Kang corrupted older version after The Crossing storyline. He was rebooted to the normal version during Heroes Reborn. The Young Avengers had Iron Lad but he turned out to be not a young Tony Stark but a young Kang. That said I agree with you. This Tiny Tony version of Iron Man is not needed and strips away a lot of what makes Tony work as a character. The alcoholism, the guilt about his tech being used for weapons and being sold to the underworld to create a class of tech criminals, etc. are integral to the mythos. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Why oh why do people always feel the need to create young so-and-so shows? There is *nothing* in the Iron Man mythos to support this, yet here NickToons is debuting a new show next month, based on sixteen-year-old boy genius Tony Stark, wielding the power of the armour! And yes, the show has all the regulars like teen Happy Hogan, teen Pepper Potts. There's even a young computer geek Rhodey Rhodes, who stays at home in his room and runs logistics/tactical/computer support for Tony's missions (and who was it saying that Leverage marginalized the brother to nothing but behind-the-scenes support?) And this not-old-enough-to-vote Iron Man (Iron Boy?) will be fighting classic villains like Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, and Living Laser. I guess all the villains will be disaffected youth, alienated from their parents and schoolmates? Gaaah! I've always hated stuff like Baby Looney Toons, Flinstone Kids, that horrible Superbaby back in the day that showed an infant Superman, etc. So I'll avoid this one. Let's just hope they don't follow this up with a show about the infant Iron Baby, flying around in steel diapers, saying stuff like Me need to charge up me armor real quick! http://www.marvel.com/news/moviestories.4184.First_Look~colon~_Iron_Man~colon~_Armored_Adventures First Look: Iron Man: Armored Adventures Animated Series Watch the debut trailer for Shellhead's 2009 animated series right now! Iron Man Iron Man: Armored Adventures launches Marvel's newly crowned box-office king Tony Stark on to the small screen, and in 2009 the first 26 animated episodes will begin airing on Nicktoons. Here's a brief description of this high tech new action adventure series: Mandarin Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation, lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests -- seeing extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries, and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own amazing technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with the duties of a super hero. Iron Man and the Mandarin Duking It Out Inside his remarkable invention, Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure! He is IRON MAN! Although, we are still months away from its Nicktoons television début, you can be the first to see an episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures at the San Diego Comic-Con. Tony Stark Come meet Co-Producer Josh Fine, Head Writer Chris Yost and others involved with this invincible new Iron Man series on Saturday at 10:00am PT in Room 6CDEF. Join Tony, Rhodey and Pepper as they enter a high tech world of science, super-villains, and mystery... and square off against the malevolent MANDARIN! Be sure to come back to Marvel.com to find out the latest Comic-Con related news and sneak peeks.
[scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson on Nick Fury deal: 'It's always a joy to lose an eye'
I sent an e-mail to Samuel L. Jackson congratulating him on his http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/02/the-money-patch.html nine-movie deal with Marvel Studios and he shot back an answer right away: Thanks for even caring. It's always a joy lose an eye, gain a patch and a really big facial scar in the name of character. Plus, I get to run the largest world-peace task force in the world, S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm glad that in the end we were able to reach across the aisle and put our differences aside and do what's best for the franchise and the fans ... ME TOO! I talked to him by phone a couple of hours later (all of this was late last week, right before I left for WonderCon in San Francisco) and he said there was no false posturing in his dealings with Marvel; he had reached http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/01/nick-fury-no-mo.html#mo re a point where he was quite sure he would never play the role of Nick Fury. No one was more surprised than me that it turned around, he said. It's great that it did. -- Geoff Boucher http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/03/samuel-l-jackso.html
[scifinoir2] DiCaprio, Nolan (Batman) Join Forces
UK, March 4, 2009 - Christopher Nolan's already very-exciting-sounding upcoming sci-fi project Inception http://movies.ign.com/objects/143/14322233.html has a star. Variety reports that Leonardo DiCaprio http://stars.ign.com/objects/913/913613.html is in final negotiations to topline the film, which is being produced by The Dark Knight http://movies.ign.com/objects/752/752133.html studio Warner Bros. We don't know much about DiCaprio's character, with the script still under wraps, but according to WB the movie will be a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind. Leo's set to star in Christopher Nolan's new sci fi. Nolan is set to begin shooting the project this year, with a view to a summer 2010 release. So expect more casting announcements and info on the film very soon http://movies.ign.com/articles/959/959125p1.html
[RE][scifinoir2] Doctor Who fights the past and looks for the future
Into that, all I can say is this. When he was signed to the role, people thought that Colin Baker was the bee's knees. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Doctor Who fights the past and looks for the future Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 11:25:40 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Doctor Who fights the past and looks for the future 03:48 PM PT, Mar 3 2009 adrian_jones_bbc_2.jpg Doctor_who_adrian_jones_bbc_2 No doubt about it, Doctor Who is a character who can stand the test of time -- but can he compete with his own past? With more than 750 episodes aired, Doctor Who holds the record for the longest running science fiction show, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The first show aired the day after John F. Kennedy was shot in November 1963 and the character has never been more popular in his native England or America than in the past few years. But that's part of the problem now confronting the show -- David Tennant , the 10th actor to occupy the role of the eccentric time-traveler, has moved on and there are plenty of fans who are still grieving. More than that, Tennant will be replaced by Matt Smith , a relatively unknown actor and, at age 26, the youngest star to ever be trusted with the TARDIS, the Doctor's quirky time machine which, to untrained eyes, might appear to merely be a 1950s-era British police phone box. bbc_photo_3.jpg Matt_smith_bbc_photo_3 My problem with the newest doctor coming on is that he looks too young, said Chuck Dietz, a 37-year-old school teacher from San Jose who recently made the 340-mile trip to Los Angeles to attend a Doctor Who fan convention called Gallifrey One (it's a reference to the Time Lord's home planet). It was the 11th pilgrimage that Dietz has made to the convention and arrived with anxiety in his baggage this time. I dont think that it works if the role is too young, Dietz said. In the classic series, that was the whole premise of the thing: the Doctor was an elderly man or a grandfather. tnell_2.jpg William_hartnell_2Indeed, the first actor to star in Doctor Who was William Hartnell (photographed on left) who was 55 when the show began but, with his mane of gray hair, looked older than that. On the show through the years, though, the Doctor has changed far more in basic appearance than other longtime pop-culture characters such as James Bond or Batman and the reason for that is an ingenious mechanism written right into the plot; the Doctor has the power to regenerate as a new person, which not only spares him from the mundane problem of human mortality, it has given writers of the show the periodic chance to dramatically re-imagine their hero. Thats the beauty of the series, said James Madison, another Gallifrey One attendee. Change is a part of it. Still, Smith has some big shoes to fill and he also tempted the wrath of Who fans by publicly stating that he has never been a devotee of the iconic British television franchise. Known more for his stage work than his television appearances, Smith has starred in BBC adaptations of The Ruby in the Smoke , which had him opposite former Doctor Who costar Billie Piper , and The Shadow in the North. He also showed up in an episode of Piper's sexed-up television series Secret Diary of a Call Girl. The next season of Doctor Who wont air until 2010, so fans will be debating in the dark for awhile. Smith, however, has already garnered the respect of most of the cast and crew, most of whom support the choice of the creators to cast him. Matt Smith came out of nowhere, but I think hes just going to be brilliant, said Phil Ford, who has written scripts for Doctor Who as well as its two spinoffs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures . Hes just got that look about him that I can see what [executive producer] Steve Moffat was talking about when he said, 'He just came into the room and just owned the part.' Thats absolutely how everybody sees him. Champions of the new actor point out that the little-known Tennant was himself confronted with skepticism when he took over for the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston (pictured below), who had brought a new grittiness and forlorn quality to a role that in the past had been more professorial. _eccleston.jpg Christopher_eccleston Still, Tennant became so beloved after taking on the role in 2005 that, to a vast number of fans, he is not the best Doctor, but the only Doctor. Smith, meanwhile, is a question mark. Theres so little out on the new guy, said David Blanchett, who travels the convention circuit selling sci-fi merchandise. There really there aren't many photos of the guy. He looks like a typical Englishman and he doesnt have a big pedigree. There's just no way to tell what kind of personality hes going to give to the Doctor. Other fans are remaining a bit more open-minded about the young actor. I dont
[RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
... in Virginia... Martin (waiting for Keith to begin screaming) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 11:11:01 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the 2088.html Washington Post, casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender. With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like - described only as exotically Asian - casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it. Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson.McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'. When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy, Ricketts responds. There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.' We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010. http://ad.doubleclick.net/activity;src=1663624;met=1;v=1;pid=33727778;aid=21 2328659;ko=0;cid=30417960;rid=30435837;rv=1;amp;timestamp=3497083;eid1=9;ecn1=1 ;etm1=0; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] The Fifth Cylon Revealed (Finally) and Thoughts on Daniel, the Seventh Cylon
Veddy innnteresting... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] The Fifth Cylon Revealed (Finally) and Thoughts on Daniel, the Seventh Cylon Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 12:30:51 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, ggs...@yahoo.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net,'Sincere' sincere1...@gmail.com From Blackgeekdom' The Fifth Cylon Revealed (Finally) and Thoughts on Daniel, the Seventh Cylon http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2009/03/02/the-fifth-cylon-revealed-finally-and -thoughts-on-daniel-the-seventh-cylon/#more-1304 b In a previous post star-galacticas-redemption/#more-513 , I said that Dualla was the 5th cylon. I was wrong. It has since been revealed that Ellen Tigh is the final cylon. Point of fact, she was not even on my list of possible cylons. I mean, how was I supposed to know that she would die and be resurrected? bsg_ellen_exit Does it all make sense? I don't know. She collaborated with the cylons on New Caprica. Twice Saul has thought that she was dead. However, I still hold out hope that there is something to Dualla. I know she killed herself in Sometimes a Good Notion but that doesn't mean she's going to stay dead. She was humming the song and she also seemed to have a connection to the doll that she found on Earth. But back to Ellen. Anyone who says that they saw it coming is lying. But I will say that the whole story, or at least the part that has been revealed so far, by Anders is quite intriguing. It raises many questions. Who created the cylons that lived on Earth? How did they come to leave Kobol and separate themselves from the other Tribes? Were the skinjobs and the centurions created by the same person or people? Next, I wanted to talk about the whole issue of Daniel, the seventh cylon. Ellen Tigh talked about Daniel with John. John corrupted Daniel and his whole line out 2007-03-04-bsgof jealousy. I think Daniel is Starbucks father. I think Starbuck is a hybrid like Hera. At first I thought Starbuck was Daniel. That somehow the corrupted Daniels had survived and maybe the DNA corruption done by John actually caused the Daniel line to change into a female, but that seems farfetched. After watching Someone to Watch Over Me and seeing that Starbuck had imagined the piano player, it occurred to me that that could only be her father. Now, lets say that Daniel did not die when John destroyed or corrupted the line. What if his programming survived John's machinations and somehow bouncing around everyone's head. I think he's the Deus Ex Machina. He's in Baltar's head. He was giving Caprica Six and Roslin visions. He played the song in the final five cylon's head. Think about it. He has undone everything that John Cavil has tried to accomplish as it relates to the final five. Who's behind putting the song in the final five's head? It had to be Daniel. Is it a coincidence that the visions stopped when Caprica Six got pregnant? Could that have been Daniel trying to be reborn? And visions return when the baby dies? Who else could have been pushing Kara to help them find Earth? When Kara was a child, in a flashback her father said that he too was an artist. Ellen said that Daniel was an artist. And now we know that he was also a musician. It adds up to me. Finally, I have a rant about that simp Tyrol. Roslin told him not to listen to Boomer. That she was basically a manipulative bitch. And what happened? She played on his feelings for her and she got Hera for Cavil, punked Helo, and beat Athena's ass. But is it really that possible that Tyrol could be so stupid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book
www.chicagotribune.com/features/booksmags/chi-0307-mooremar07,0,4692358.story chicagotribune.com Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book By Christopher Borrelli and Robert K. Elder Tribune reporters March 7, 2009 Over the past 30 years, author Alan Moore has almost single-handedly reinvented the comic book, transforming its language, broadening its scope and deepening its intellect. So, naturally, Hollywood has been poaching his stories for years, the most egregious being the 2003 loud and dumb adaptation of his otherwise highly literate The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. There also have been films based on his works, such as Constantine, From Hell and a glossy but tonally faithful version of V for Vendetta; both last year's The Dark Knight and Tim Burton's original Batman owe a debt to Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke. This weekend, however, we get director Zack Snyder's sprawling adaptation of Watchmen, Moore's most celebrated creation. Initially a 12-issue series with artist Dave Gibbons, the collected volume has become one of the most acclaimed graphic novels ever, hailed by Time magazine as one of the best 100 novels of the 20th Century. It's about aging superheroes, nuclear politics and social engineering. That said, Moore has sworn off movie profits inspired by his books; he recently told the Los Angeles Times that he is opposed to movies based on his work. About Watchmen he said, I will be spitting venom all over it for months to come. As with most of his comics, Moore has insisted Watchmen is inherently unfilmable, heresy in this time of inevitable big-screen adaptation. But he's right. Comics are comics, period, with a language and tradition of their own. They are unique and separate from other art forms, not merely a series of detailed storyboards waiting to be translated into a film. Just as great literature is no promise of a great movie, great comic books don't automatically make better comic-book movies. Ask Frank Miller, Moore's American counterpart, whose Batman tale The Dark Knight Returns was released around the same time as Watchmen and became just as much of a classic. Though Hollywood has been good to Miller, with faithful adaptations of 300 and Sin City, Miller's own directorial take on artist Will Eisner's creation, The Spirit, released a few months ago, was not only unfaithful, but also murderous to the original. With Moore, the text matters. The page matters. The context matters. At his best, Moore is a deconstructionist, ideally suited to an age when we're so familiar with the history and spandex and capes that mark the superhero form that we prefer to go straight to the deconstruction. Moore tears apart iconic scenarios and cliches to rebuild and rework, as he did with Top 10, a 1999-2001 comic-book series about super cops in a city where everyone from the prostitutes to the hot dog vendors are super, and therefore, no one is. Likewise, Tom Strong, another millennial series, was a thinly veiled work of Superman criticism, about a strong man tone deaf to his actions, told in the earnest voice of early comics. Not that Moore is squarely rooted in superhero boots. From Hell, his Jack the Ripper opus, created from 19991 to 1996, is impossible to digest fully on a first reading. It is a doorstop of a black-and-white narrative and not the mystery you expect; it is less curious about the identity of the killer than the why and how of his acts. A signature of Moore's work is how attuned it is to the paranoia peeking from behind the most upstanding facade, and how it treats the most monstrous. But there's also a British cheekiness about Moore, 54, who claims to be a recluse. There's a playful fussiness to him that, at worst, comes off like a teenage affectationthe muddled philosophical arguments driving the story of muddled anarchists in V for Vendetta, for instance. He is also a cultural treasure chest, spilling over with connections that mash up a century of literature to create something new that honors the old. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which finds Mina Harker (of Bram Stoker's Dracula) teaming up with the Invisible Man and Captain Nemo, has nods to contemporary relevance, detours into Orwellian London, but never forgets the simple exhilaration of a Victorian adventure. The quintessential Moore, of course, remains Watchmen, about which much ink has been spilled and no less than three new books have been released that are tied to the film adaptation: Watchmen: The Art of the Film and Watchmen: The Official Film Companion by Peter Aperlo plus Watchmen: Portraits by Clay Enos, a coffee-table book of portraits shot of every major and minor character. We suggest sticking with the original Watchmen collection, recently released for the first time as a hardcover. First issued in 1987, the series remains very much of its timea Cold War superhero tale that resonates most strongly
[scifinoir2] Jericho Coming Back?
It appears fans might witness the Second American Civil War, after all. by Colin Moriarty http://tv.ign.com/email.html http://blogs.ign.com/Moriarty-IGN/ http://media.ignimgs.com/media/ign/images/readmyblog.gif March 1, 2009 - Today, at the final day of San Francisco's WonderCon, the news Jericho http://tv.ign.com/objects/828/828170.html fans have been waiting for since the series finale aired last spring has finally been spoken -- a Jericho movie, and possibly other Jericho-related projects are currently in the works. Sitting on a panel for the upcoming CBS serial-miniseries hybrid Harper's Island, co-executive producers Dan Shotz and Karim Zriek, veterans of Jericho, were asked the fated question at the end of the question-and-answer segment with the audience. Will there be more Jericho, or won't there be? Hawkins and Jake delivered the bomb to Texas. Now what? Well, there's reason to rejoice, because the struggle between the corrupt company Jennings Rall and the tattered remnants of the American government might not be over. The Jericho movie is in development, spoke Karim Zriek, continuing, there's going to be announcement probably this coming week, not about a Jericho movie, but about another avenue which we're going to continue telling the Jericho story. Confused? Don't be. It appears that more than one avenue is being investigated for continuing the story of America's nuclear demise and subsequent civil war. But as for the movie, specifically? We are seriously talking about a Jericho movie, Zriek assured the audience, though nothing is finalized yet. Dan Shotz added, we're trying different avenues to keep the story going, because Jericho fans are great fans. http://tv.ign.com/articles/958/958252p1.html image001.gif
[scifinoir2] Life on Mars Sequel Airs Tonight on BBC America
I hear that this new series, Ashes to Ashes, has already completed its first season in Britain, to good reviews, and has already been renewed for a second season. I never finished watching the conclusion Life on Mars, but warning!-- there's one line at the end of this story that apparently reveals what happened to Sam Tyler. *** http://www.buddytv.com/articles/life-on-mars/bbc-america-to-air-life-on-mar-25267.aspx As ABC continues to air the U.S. version of Life on Mars , fans of the police procedural show will have a chance to see what happens next to their favorite characters in the original U.K. series. BBC America has just acquired the U.S. premiere of Ashes to Ashes, the award-winning and highly anticipated sequel to Life on Mars . Slated to premiere in March 2009, the Life on Mars sequel follows Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) as he is reassigned from Manchester to London and embraces the '80s. He is joined by an experienced female detective, and trained psychologist from the 21st century, DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), who wakes up in 1981 after being shot in 2008. Frustrated by each other's stubbornness, the friction between Alex and Gene heats up and it becomes obvious there is more than just a professional tension emerging. And as the team takes on criminals in the nation's capital, they are joined by Hunt's faithful sidekicks, a newly permed Detective Sergeant Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and the overly cautious Detective Constable Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster). As with the parent series, the show's name comes from a David Bowie song of the era in which it is set, in this case the 1980 single Ashes to Ashes. Continuing with Life on Mars , it has been established that Alex Drake has been studying the suicide of DCI Sam Tyler and is familiar with the detailed description he recorded of his experiences of life in 1973 whilst he was actually in a coma in 2006. Meanwhile, fans can catch fresh episodes of the U.S. version of Life on Mars early next year on ABC. So far, seven episodes have already aired, leaving fans with 10 more installments to enjoy before the first season comes to a close. -Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist Source: BBC America
[scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
We spoke very briefly a year or so ago about the South Africa-produced series a year or so ago. I'd noticed it was aired on SciFi really briefly, maybe one or two shows on a Saturday afternoon, then a couple aired in the middle of the night. I only caught an hour or so, and it was obvious that the full plot didn't unfold for several eps. But I never got to finish watching, as SciFi pulled it. Since then, I've heard lots of good things about Charlie Jade from various sources, so think i will check out the marathon next week. Anyone see this series? How was it? * http://www.scifi.com/charliejade/about/ Charlie Jade is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, which is inconceivable in Charlie's world. While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences. Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart. The show's creators are Robert Wertheimer (Bollywood/Hollywood, Due South, Robocop: The Series) and Chris Roland (Stander, Man to Man, The Bone Snatcher). Charlie Jade is written by Guy Mullally (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Little Men), David Cole (Cold Squad, Due South), Stephen Zoller (Anne of Green Gables, The Windsor Protocol) and Alex Epstein (Galidor). Executive producers are Wertheimer, Roland, Izidore Codron, Robin Spry and Jacques Pettigrew. Series regulars include: Jeffrey Pierce (The Others, West Wing, JAG) as Charlie, Marie-Julie Rivest (Savage Messiah), Michael Filipowich (Starhunter, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Tyrone Benskin (Deacons for Defense, The Long Island Incident), Michelle Burgers (The Schoolmaster, Sinbad), Danny Keogh (Citizen Verdict, Sinbad) and Patricia McKenzie (Stardom, No Alibi). A cross-section of directors from both Canada and South Africa provide the series' highly cinematic, cutting-edge signature style. Directors include T.J. Scott (Hercules, Xena, La Femme Nikita), Darrel James Roodt (City of Blood, Sarafina!) Jimmy Kaufman (Due South, Stargate SG-1) and Neal Sundstrom (Inside Out, Homeland). Post-production and state-of-the-art CGI were handled by CineGroupe in Montreal, who in the last year produced two U.S. series — Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension and Tripping the Rift.
Re: [scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy
That's great! And great to hear your details, for when i start doing stuff like this! - Original Message - From: Reece Jennings mcjennings...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:30:08 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy Excuse me. I was in the middle of an orgy. I bought and installed 2 TIVO units on my home wireless network last night. While perusing the TIVO site, I spotted something about being able to rent and download movies from Netflix, so I immediately clicked on it! Well, it seems I would need an HD TIVO unit, so that won't work... So I see Amazon downloads. I'm thinking HD there, too, but I go and look. NO HD needed! So I link my TIVO account to my Amazon 1-click account, click on MILITARY movies, and I'm in heaven! I'll be back next week! Do they have TIVO rehab yet? TA -- Hello, my name is Maurice, and I'm a Tivo-holic. I'm also an Amazonaholic, but I already belong to AA because of my drinking! BURP! Seriously, great service! Maurice Maurice C. Jennings Certified Credit Consultant Credit Justice Services FEATURES THE 75 Day Credit Makeover . potential increase of 50 - 100 points in your credit score in 75 days or less! 100% Money Back Guarantee* *Terms and conditions apply Identity Theft Solutions, too! http://www.legacycreditsavers..com 860-202-1041
RE: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
I loved the premise, I wanted to like it, but could not get into it. I liked to hear your views From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 3:12 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi We spoke very briefly a year or so ago about the South Africa-produced series a year or so ago. I'd noticed it was aired on SciFi really briefly, maybe one or two shows on a Saturday afternoon, then a couple aired in the middle of the night. I only caught an hour or so, and it was obvious that the full plot didn't unfold for several eps. But I never got to finish watching, as SciFi pulled it. Since then, I've heard lots of good things about Charlie Jade from various sources, so think i will check out the marathon next week. Anyone see this series? How was it? * http://www.scifi.com/charliejade/about/ Charlie Jade is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, which is inconceivable in Charlie's world. While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences. Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart. The show's creators are Robert Wertheimer (Bollywood/Hollywood, Due South, Robocop: The Series) and Chris Roland (Stander, Man to Man, The Bone Snatcher). Charlie Jade is written by Guy Mullally (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Little Men), David Cole (Cold Squad, Due South), Stephen Zoller (Anne of Green Gables, The Windsor Protocol) and Alex Epstein (Galidor). Executive producers are Wertheimer, Roland, Izidore Codron, Robin Spry and Jacques Pettigrew. Series regulars include: Jeffrey Pierce (The Others, West Wing, JAG) as Charlie, Marie-Julie Rivest (Savage Messiah), Michael Filipowich (Starhunter, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Tyrone Benskin (Deacons for Defense, The Long Island Incident), Michelle Burgers (The Schoolmaster, Sinbad), Danny Keogh (Citizen Verdict, Sinbad) and Patricia McKenzie (Stardom, No Alibi). A cross-section of directors from both Canada and South Africa provide the series' highly cinematic, cutting-edge signature style. Directors include T.J. Scott (Hercules, Xena, La Femme Nikita), Darrel James Roodt (City of Blood, Sarafina!) Jimmy Kaufman (Due South, Stargate SG-1) and Neal Sundstrom (Inside Out, Homeland). Post-production and state-of-the-art CGI were handled by CineGroupe in Montreal, who in the last year produced two U.S. series — Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension and Tripping the Rift.
[scifinoir2] 'No proof' of bee killer theory
'No proof' of bee killer theory By Matt McGrath Science reporter, BBC World Service Scientists say there is no proof that a mysterious disease blamed for the deaths of billions of bees actually exists. For five years, increasing numbers of unexplained bee deaths have been reported worldwide, with US commercial beekeepers suffering the most. The term Colony Collapse Disorder was coined to describe the illness. But many experts now believe that the term is misleading and there is no single, new ailment killing the bees. In part of California, the honeybee is of crucial importance to the local economy as 80% of the world's almonds come from there - America's most valuable horticultural export. But without the bee pollinating the trees, there would be no almonds. In a few frenzied weeks in February and March, billions of honey bees are transported to the state from as far away as Florida to flit innocently among the snowy almond blossoms, and ensure the success of this lucrative crop. However, since 2004 their numbers have been mysteriously declining, and it was only at the end of 2006 that the severity of the losses began to be fully realised. It's probably not a unique event in beekeeping to have large numbers of colonies die Frank Eischen US Department of Agriculture Commercial bee keeper Dave Hackenberg, from Pennsylvania, was the first to sound the alarm. He recalled the moment when he first realised something was wrong: I started opening a few hives, and they were completely empty boxes, no bees. I got real frantic and I started looking at lots of beehives. I noticed that there were no dead bees on the ground, there weren't any bodies there. Even stranger than the absence of the insects was the fact that other bees would not go near these deserted colonies. Since then around two million colonies of bees have disappeared across the US. And the losses have continued this year, albeit at a lower rate. The unexplained nature of the affliction, with empty hives and no clearly defined infection, has stumped scientists. Colony collapse Since the 1980s, a rising tide of ailments has assaulted the honeybee, including the varroa mite and many deadly viruses. But the dramatic and rapid losses of the last five years had convinced experts that something new was at work within the hives. Researchers around the world are running round trying to find the cause of the disorder - and there's absolutely no proof that there's a disorder there Dennis Anderson CSIRO They developed a concept called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Dr Jeff Pettis, a researcher with the US Department of Agriculture Bee Lab, said CCD applied to colonies which died although there were no high levels of parasites: The colony was once strong, it reared a lot of young developing bees and then the adult bee population simply disappeared or died. With those symptoms it certainly is unique and it doesn't really match up with our expectations for parasitic mite loss and the like. But to date researchers have found few clues as to the exact cause of the disorder. And some senior scientists now say the disorder does not exist as a separate illness. Dr Dennis Anderson, principal research scientist on entomology with the Australian research organisation CSIRO, said the term could be distracting scientists from other work: It's misleading in the fact that the general public and beekeepers and now even researchers are under the impression that we've got some mysterious disorder here in our bees. And so researchers around the world are running round trying to find the cause of the disorder - and there's absolutely no proof that there's a disorder there. Previous declines His view is shared by some experts in the US. Conducting experiments at an isolated almond orchard in the Central Valley area of California, Frank Eischen, of the US Department of Agriculture, said it was probably true that there was no new single disease. We've seen these kinds of symptoms before, during the seventies, during the nineties, and now, he added. It's probably not a unique event in beekeeping to have large numbers of colonies die. Many experts speak about a perfect storm of impacts that are the real reason for the decline. Principal among them are infestations of the varroa mite, which suck the bees' blood and weaken their immune systems. There are also concerns that bees are being deprived of nutrition as urbanisation removes their natural pastures. One of the biggest worries is the possible impact of agricultural pesticides. It is believed these chemicals can have a similar effect in bees as alcohol has in humans - they disorientate the bees, causing them to get lost on the way home. Busy work The intensity of agriculture could be the real underlying cause of bee stress, some experts believe. Commercial beekeeper Dave Hackenberg described the working life of a bee as difficult. My
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight
I'll be okay. I'm expecting the movie to be a bit of a letdown. Once I was, oh, five or so pages into the book, I realized the movie could never live up to it, if for no other reason that nearly three hours isn't long enough. It reminds me of how New Line Cinema originally tried to make Peter Jackson tell the LOTR story in only two two-hour films--can't be done. I will say, though, looking at the trailers, I see that Snyder has put a lot of important moments from the book in the movie. I'm actually looking forward to comparing the film with the book, so I'm good trying to finish the book first. I'm also looking forward to seeing what I hear is a longer version of the movie that'll come out on the DVD. I hear that one is nearly four hours long! - Original Message - From: B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:07:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight The novel is all the things you've mentioned and for that reason you might be disappointed with the movie especially since it's so fresh in your mind. From what I hear the movie is a good adaptation but a lot of the little things that make the book so great gets somewhat lost in translation. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Why is that? - Original Message - From: Omari Confer clockwork...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:16:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight See the movie first. On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:28 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I'm about halfway through the graphic novel, maybe sixty percent. I'm being stubborn and refusing to see the flick before I'm done, which I hope will be Sunday. But it's a very dense read, and I don't typically rush through good stuff. I like to savor my reading, to take it slower than my ability, to reread the same text sometimes two or three times in one sitting, then move forward. Maybe take a day or two off to let my subconscious mull over it. And believe me Watchmen lends itself to some mulling over. It is incredibly layered, chock full of dialogue and innuendo, sadness and sickness. Wow. Can't imagine how much of it will make it to the movie, as even the half of it i've read would require at least 4 hours to do it justice. Still, I have a feeling Snyder has done at least a good summary of the spirit of the book, so I'm looking forward to it. Sunday, hopefully - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella tdli...@... To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Cinque3000 cinque3...@... , Aradia (Rae) Corenti aradia@... , ggs...@... , Sincere sincere1...@... Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 12:19:38 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight Watchmen debuted at 12:01am last night to sold out midnight shows around the country. Variety reports that the much touted superhero movie made $4.6 million in midnight showings, during the wee hours of Friday morning. The movie played at late-night showings in more than 1500 theaters around the country. That’s nearly double what Zack Snyder’s last R-rated fanboy flick, 300 made. That film earned $2.5 million in midnight showings. $4.6 million is a solid number, whether the early attendance of eager fanboys will translate into big weekend numbers remains to be seen. To do it, they’ll need more than the hardcore audience which usually shows up for midnight fangasms. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Watchmen-Earns-4-6-Million-At-Midnight-12262.html http://www.cinemablend.com/images/spacer.gif http://n4403ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gn.cinemablend.com/redirect;adid=212410530;sect=redirect;sz=1x1;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D? -- cwm blog http://centralheatingblog.blogspot.com STRING THEORY http://www.stringtheory.mypodcast.com
Re: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
Huh. "Multi-ethnic" in my experience in H'Wood usually means that the preponderance of cool heroes are white, the villains may have some colour, the the background slaves, servants, and warriors are the most likely places to find color. I also bristle whenever people seem to feel that actively seeking people of color is somehow narrow-minded or exclusionary.Not feeling this thing at all...- Original Message -From: "Tracey de Morsella" tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.comTo: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "Cinque3000" cinque3...@verizon.netSent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 2:11:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada EasternSubject: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the Washington Post, casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender. With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like – described only as "exotically Asian" – casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, "Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it." Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: "In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson…McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'…" "When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy," Ricketts responds. "There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.'" We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010.
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man?
Yeah, but that teenaged Stark wasn't an Iron Man in this sense, and certainly not anything like they're planning. And yeah, you're right about stripping away everything that makes Tony Stark work. I completely forgot about that part of it, so focused on my dislike of the overall concept. But seeing Rhodes reduced to a geek who runs tactical support from his bedroom network--that's really upsetting! - Original Message - From: B. Smith daikaij...@yahoo.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 2:15:48 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man? Well there are two young Iron Men in the mythos: the teenaged Tony Stark that replaced the Kang corrupted older version after The Crossing storyline. He was rebooted to the normal version during Heroes Reborn. The Young Avengers had Iron Lad but he turned out to be not a young Tony Stark but a young Kang. That said I agree with you. This Tiny Tony version of Iron Man is not needed and strips away a lot of what makes Tony work as a character. The alcoholism, the guilt about his tech being used for weapons and being sold to the underworld to create a class of tech criminals, etc. are integral to the mythos. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: Why oh why do people always feel the need to create young so-and-so shows? There is *nothing* in the Iron Man mythos to support this, yet here NickToons is debuting a new show next month, based on sixteen-year-old boy genius Tony Stark, wielding the power of the armour! And yes, the show has all the regulars like teen Happy Hogan, teen Pepper Potts. There's even a young computer geek Rhodey Rhodes, who stays at home in his room and runs logistics/tactical/computer support for Tony's missions (and who was it saying that Leverage marginalized the brother to nothing but behind-the-scenes support?) And this not-old-enough-to-vote Iron Man (Iron Boy?) will be fighting classic villains like Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, and Living Laser. I guess all the villains will be disaffected youth, alienated from their parents and schoolmates? Gaaah! I've always hated stuff like Baby Looney Toons, Flinstone Kids, that horrible Superbaby back in the day that showed an infant Superman, etc. So I'll avoid this one. Let's just hope they don't follow this up with a show about the infant Iron Baby, flying around in steel diapers, saying stuff like Me need to charge up me armor real quick! http://www.marvel.com/news/moviestories.4184.First_Look~colon~_Iron_Man~colon~_Armored_Adventures First Look: Iron Man: Armored Adventures Animated Series Watch the debut trailer for Shellhead's 2009 animated series right now! Iron Man Iron Man: Armored Adventures launches Marvel's newly crowned box-office king Tony Stark on to the small screen, and in 2009 the first 26 animated episodes will begin airing on Nicktoons. Here's a brief description of this high tech new action adventure series: Mandarin Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation, lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests -- seeing extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries, and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own amazing technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with the duties of a super hero. Iron Man and the Mandarin Duking It Out Inside his remarkable invention, Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure! He is IRON MAN! Although, we are still months away from its Nicktoons television début, you can be the first to see an episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures at the San Diego Comic-Con. Tony Stark Come meet Co-Producer Josh Fine, Head Writer Chris Yost and others involved with this invincible new Iron Man series on Saturday at 10:00am PT in Room 6CDEF. Join Tony, Rhodey and Pepper as they enter a high tech world of science, super-villains, and mystery... and square off against the malevolent MANDARIN! Be sure to come back to Marvel.com to find out the latest Comic-Con related news and sneak peeks.
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
Oh, I think you heard that! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Cinque3000 cinque3...@verizon.net Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 3:31:04 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. ... in Virginia... Martin (waiting for Keith to begin screaming) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 11:11:01 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the 2088.html Washington Post, casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender. With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like - described only as exotically Asian - casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it. Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson.McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'. When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy, Ricketts responds. There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.' We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010. http://ad.doubleclick.net/activity;src=1663624;met=1;v=1;pid=33727778;aid=21 2328659;ko=0;cid=30417960;rid=30435837;rv=1;timestamp=3497083;eid1=9;ecn1=1 ;etm1=0; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
I'll try to remember to record it Tuesday. Think I'll be out all day with car repairs and stuff. :( - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 6:14:29 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi I loved the premise, I wanted to like it, but could not get into it. I liked to hear your views From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 3:12 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi We spoke very briefly a year or so ago about the South Africa-produced series a year or so ago. I'd noticed it was aired on SciFi really briefly, maybe one or two shows on a Saturday afternoon, then a couple aired in the middle of the night. I only caught an hour or so, and it was obvious that the full plot didn't unfold for several eps. But I never got to finish watching, as SciFi pulled it. Since then, I've heard lots of good things about Charlie Jade from various sources, so think i will check out the marathon next week. Anyone see this series? How was it? * http://www.scifi.com/charliejade/about/ Charlie Jade is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, which is inconceivable in Charlie's world. While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences. Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart. The show's creators are Robert Wertheimer (Bollywood/Hollywood, Due South, Robocop: The Series) and Chris Roland (Stander, Man to Man, The Bone Snatcher). Charlie Jade is written by Guy Mullally (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Little Men), David Cole (Cold Squad, Due South), Stephen Zoller (Anne of Green Gables, The Windsor Protocol) and Alex Epstein (Galidor). Executive producers are Wertheimer, Roland, Izidore Codron, Robin Spry and Jacques Pettigrew. Series regulars include: Jeffrey Pierce (The Others, West Wing, JAG) as Charlie, Marie-Julie Rivest (Savage Messiah), Michael Filipowich (Starhunter, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Tyrone Benskin (Deacons for Defense, The Long Island Incident), Michelle Burgers (The Schoolmaster, Sinbad), Danny Keogh (Citizen Verdict, Sinbad) and Patricia McKenzie (Stardom, No Alibi). A cross-section of directors from both Canada and South Africa provide the series' highly cinematic, cutting-edge signature style. Directors include T.J. Scott (Hercules, Xena, La Femme Nikita), Darrel James Roodt (City of Blood, Sarafina!) Jimmy Kaufman (Due South, Stargate SG-1) and Neal Sundstrom (Inside Out, Homeland). Post-production and state-of-the-art CGI were handled by CineGroupe in Montreal, who in the last year produced two U.S. series — Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension and Tripping the Rift.
Re: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight
The movie is a perfect stage for the graphic novel On Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 8:42 AM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.netwrote: Why is that? - Original Message - From: Omari Confer clockwork...@gmail.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 1:16:25 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight See the movie first. On Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:28 PM, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.netwrote: I'm about halfway through the graphic novel, maybe sixty percent. I'm being stubborn and refusing to see the flick before I'm done, which I hope will be Sunday. But it's a very dense read, and I don't typically rush through good stuff. I like to savor my reading, to take it slower than my ability, to reread the same text sometimes two or three times in one sitting, then move forward. Maybe take a day or two off to let my subconscious mull over it. And believe me Watchmen lends itself to some mulling over. It is incredibly layered, chock full of dialogue and innuendo, sadness and sickness. Wow. Can't imagine how much of it will make it to the movie, as even the half of it i've read would require at least 4 hours to do it justice. Still, I have a feeling Snyder has done at least a good summary of the spirit of the book, so I'm looking forward to it. Sunday, hopefully - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Cinque3000 cinque3...@verizon.net, Aradia (Rae) Corenti aradia@gmail.com, ggs...@yahoo.com, Sincere sincere1...@gmail.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 12:19:38 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Watchmen Earns 4.6 Million At Midnight *Watchmen* debuted at 12:01am last night to sold out midnight shows around the country. Varietyhttp://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000912.html?categoryid=13cs=1nid=2854reports that the much touted superhero moviehttp://www.cinemablend.com/new/Watchmen-Earns-4-6-Million-At-Midnight-12262.htmlmade $4.6 million in midnight showings, during the wee hours of Friday morning. The movie played at late-night showings in more than 1500 theaters around the country. That’s nearly double what Zack Snyder’s last R-rated fanboy flick, *300*made. That film earned $2.5 million in midnight showings. $4.6 million is a solid number, whether the early attendance of eager fanboys will translate into big weekend numbers remains to be seen. To do it, they’ll need more than the hardcore audience which usually shows up for midnight fangasms. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Watchmen-Earns-4-6-Million-At-Midnight-12262.html ** [image: http://www.cinemablend.com/images/spacer.gif] [image: http://n4403ad.doubleclick.net/ad/gn.cinemablend.com/redirect;adid=212410530;sect=redirect;sz=1x1;ord=%5Btimestamp%5D?] -- cwm blog http://centralheatingblog.blogspot.com STRING THEORY http://www.stringtheory.mypodcast.com -- cwm blog http://centralheatingblog.blogspot.com STRING THEORY http://www.stringtheory.mypodcast.com
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple
Another glaring miss on their parts. Danged twenty-somethings and their useless lists! -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:57:15 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Agreed! and where are Mork and Mindy for worst couple? - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 3:41:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple Keith... they left out Delenn and John Sheridan... Martin (knows when to fight the good fight and when to unleash the WMD) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 09:30:07 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella To : Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples (And One That's Gross) By Annalee Newitz , 4:05 PM on Thu Mar 5 2009, 18,789 views http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/liquidsky6.jpgI don't know about you, but I got into scifi as a young teen because I was looking for sex. You know, hot human-on-alien action. And I've got some of that for you today. (NSFW) Of course there are about a zillion human/alien pairings in scifi, going all the way back to John Carter's dalliance with that red hot princess from Mars. But some couples stand out (like Hulk and Caiera in the recent Planet Hulk series) and some are forgettable (like Karen Allen and the glowy Jeff Bridges alien in Starman, which is sadly not based on the comic book of the same name). While of course we prefer our human/alien pairings to involve lots of sex, some of the hottest human/alien couples are purely romantic. Their liaisons lead to marriage or children, which doesn't necessarily make them less scrumptious than couples whose trysts are basically excuses for a lot of tentacles and crazy lubrication scenes. So without further ado, here are nine of the hottest human/alien couples we could think of, and one couple whose horribleness will remind you why some intergalactic smoochfests should never be blessed by starship captains. Margaret and the invisible aliens who kill her lovers in Liquid Sky Let's start in the most obvious place, shall we? Liquid Sky is a completely insane movie from the 1980s, about a bunch of punk/new wave models who are addicted to coke, totally genderfucked, wear neon-streaked clothes, and have a lot of gaybiwhatevs sex. Margaret is one such model, pictured fetchingly above, whose main goal in life is to destroy her rival male model (played by the same actress who plays Margeret) and to have a ton of meaningless sex with her freaky girlfriend and a bunch of other cute clubsters. You're whirled in and out of the new wave dreamscape until suddenly a floating pie pan enters the picture, and starts zapping Margaret's lovers to death at the moment they orgasm. At first, Margaret thinks her pussy has the power to kill, and she manages to pick off several of her lovers before targeting her frenemies. But at last she realizes that some aliens are behind the whole thing, and she decides that these aliens are the only creatures who truly care about her. I won't spoil the ending for you, but suffice to say that an insane-looking punk wedding dress is involved. http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/manwhofelltoass.jpg Thomas Newton and Mary-Lou from The Man Who Fell to Earth In Nicholas Roeg's movie version of the (very different) Walter Tevis novel, David Bowie plays Thomas Newton, a sexy, geeky, genderfucky 1970s alien (yes, the 70s and 80s were a time of androgynous aliens, and hence an awesome time for love). Trying to save his home planet from a terrible drought, Thomas comes to Earth, a planet he's heard is entirely covered in water. Unfortunately his ship crashes, and he's stuck on our watery ball until he can raise enough money from various alien inventions to build another ship and return home. As he gets unbelievably rich from things like a tiny silver ball that plays music, Thomas slides into human decadence. A young woman named Mary-Lou introduces him to sex and booze, and pretty soon he's revealing his alien side to her with ass-biting and (later) showing her his true (lube-covered) alien form. There is even a lubey alien/human sex scene the likes of which you'll never see anywhere else. Plus, hot young Bowie in full alien mode! On the hotness scale, this couple is in the danger zone. http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/dickandmary.jpgDick and Mary from Third Rock from the Sun Human/alien love went all domestic in the 1990s with sitcom Third Rock from the Sun, where a group of aliens are sent to Earth to study the natives while
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
Felt it more, I did. Powerful disturbance in the Force, it made. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:54:00 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Oh, I think you heard that! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Cinque3000 Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 3:31:04 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. ... in Virginia... Martin (waiting for Keith to begin screaming) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 11:11:01 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella To : , 'Cinque3000' Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the 2088.html Washington Post, casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender. With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like - described only as exotically Asian - casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it. Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson.McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'. When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy, Ricketts responds. There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.' We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010. http://ad.doubleclick.net/activity;src=1663624;met=1;v=1;pid=33727778;aid=21 2328659;ko=0;cid=30417960;rid=30435837;rv=1;amp;timestamp=3497083;eid1=9;ecn1=1 ;etm1=0; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man?
But seeing Rhodes reduced to a geek who runs tactical support from his bedroom -- that's really upsetting! Reading that, the words of the Immortal Bard come to mind. I was not angry since I came to France until this instant. Martin (has found another one that will remain unwatched, even if left on doorstep wrapped in C-notes) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man? Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:47:51 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, but that teenaged Stark wasn't an Iron Man in this sense, and certainly not anything like they're planning. And yeah, you're right about stripping away everything that makes Tony Stark work. I completely forgot about that part of it, so focused on my dislike of the overall concept. But seeing Rhodes reduced to a geek who runs tactical support from his bedroom network--that's really upsetting! - Original Message - From: B. Smith To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 2:15:48 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man? Well there are two young Iron Men in the mythos: the teenaged Tony Stark that replaced the Kang corrupted older version after The Crossing storyline. He was rebooted to the normal version during Heroes Reborn. The Young Avengers had Iron Lad but he turned out to be not a young Tony Stark but a young Kang. That said I agree with you. This Tiny Tony version of Iron Man is not needed and strips away a lot of what makes Tony work as a character. The alcoholism, the guilt about his tech being used for weapons and being sold to the underworld to create a class of tech criminals, etc. are integral to the mythos. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson wrote: Why oh why do people always feel the need to create young so-and-so shows? There is *nothing* in the Iron Man mythos to support this, yet here NickToons is debuting a new show next month, based on sixteen-year-old boy genius Tony Stark, wielding the power of the armour! And yes, the show has all the regulars like teen Happy Hogan, teen Pepper Potts. There's even a young computer geek Rhodey Rhodes, who stays at home in his room and runs logistics/tactical/computer support for Tony's missions (and who was it saying that Leverage marginalized the brother to nothing but behind-the-scenes support?) And this not-old-enough-to-vote Iron Man (Iron Boy?) will be fighting classic villains like Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, and Living Laser. I guess all the villains will be disaffected youth, alienated from their parents and schoolmates? Gaaah! I've always hated stuff like Baby Looney Toons, Flinstone Kids, that horrible Superbaby back in the day that showed an infant Superman, etc. So I'll avoid this one. Let's just hope they don't follow this up with a show about the infant Iron Baby, flying around in steel diapers, saying stuff like Me need to charge up me armor real quick! http://www.marvel.com/news/moviestories.4184.First_Look~colon~_Iron_Man~colon~_Armored_Adventures First Look: Iron Man: Armored Adventures Animated Series Watch the debut trailer for Shellhead's 2009 animated series right now! Iron Man Iron Man: Armored Adventures launches Marvel's newly crowned box-office king Tony Stark on to the small screen, and in 2009 the first 26 animated episodes will begin airing on Nicktoons. Here's a brief description of this high tech new action adventure series: Mandarin Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation, lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests -- seeing extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries, and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own amazing technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with the duties of a super hero. Iron Man and the Mandarin Duking It Out Inside his remarkable invention, Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure! He is IRON MAN! Although, we are still months away from its Nicktoons television début, you can be the first to see an episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures at the San Diego Comic-Con. Tony Stark Come meet Co-Producer Josh Fine, Head Writer Chris Yost and others involved with this invincible new Iron Man series on Saturday at 10:00am PT in Room 6CDEF. Join Tony, Rhodey and Pepper as they enter a high tech world of science, super-villains, and mystery... and square off against the malevolent MANDARIN! Be sure to come back to Marvel.com to find out the latest
Re: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
Now, Keith! You're not being honest here. You *are* feeling something about this flick. That it should be tossed in the trash as soon as the first, final and only print is made. ;-) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:45:39 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Huh. Multi-ethnic in my experience in H'Wood usually means that the preponderance of cool heroes are white, the villains may have some colour, the the background slaves, servants, and warriors are the most likely places to find color. I also bristle whenever people seem to feel that actively seeking people of color is somehow narrow-minded or exclusionary. Not feeling this thing at all... - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Cinque3000 Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 2:11:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the Washington Post , casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender . With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like – described only as exotically Asian – casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it. Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson…McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'… When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy, Ricketts responds. There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.' We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010. http://ad.doubleclick.net/activity;src=1663624;met=1;v=1;pid=33727778;aid=212328659;ko=0;cid=30417960;rid=30435837;rv=1;amp;timestamp=3497083;eid1=9;ecn1=1;etm1=0; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] 'No proof' of bee killer theory
Never subscribed to that disease theory. My thought is simpler and far more provable. Mankind has raped and murdered the planet, and the bees are the first visible casualties. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] 'No proof' of bee killer theory Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 15:30:40 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Chris de Morsella cdemorse...@yahoo.com 'No proof' of bee killer theory By Matt McGrath Science reporter, BBC World Service Scientists say there is no proof that a mysterious disease blamed for the deaths of billions of bees actually exists. For five years, increasing numbers of unexplained bee deaths have been reported worldwide, with US commercial beekeepers suffering the most. The term Colony Collapse Disorder was coined to describe the illness. But many experts now believe that the term is misleading and there is no single, new ailment killing the bees. In part of California, the honeybee is of crucial importance to the local economy as 80% of the world's almonds come from there - America's most valuable horticultural export. But without the bee pollinating the trees, there would be no almonds. In a few frenzied weeks in February and March, billions of honey bees are transported to the state from as far away as Florida to flit innocently among the snowy almond blossoms, and ensure the success of this lucrative crop. However, since 2004 their numbers have been mysteriously declining, and it was only at the end of 2006 that the severity of the losses began to be fully realised. It's probably not a unique event in beekeeping to have large numbers of colonies die Frank Eischen US Department of Agriculture Commercial bee keeper Dave Hackenberg, from Pennsylvania, was the first to sound the alarm. He recalled the moment when he first realised something was wrong: I started opening a few hives, and they were completely empty boxes, no bees. I got real frantic and I started looking at lots of beehives. I noticed that there were no dead bees on the ground, there weren't any bodies there. Even stranger than the absence of the insects was the fact that other bees would not go near these deserted colonies. Since then around two million colonies of bees have disappeared across the US. And the losses have continued this year, albeit at a lower rate. The unexplained nature of the affliction, with empty hives and no clearly defined infection, has stumped scientists. Colony collapse Since the 1980s, a rising tide of ailments has assaulted the honeybee, including the varroa mite and many deadly viruses. But the dramatic and rapid losses of the last five years had convinced experts that something new was at work within the hives. Researchers around the world are running round trying to find the cause of the disorder - and there's absolutely no proof that there's a disorder there Dennis Anderson CSIRO They developed a concept called Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD. Dr Jeff Pettis, a researcher with the US Department of Agriculture Bee Lab, said CCD applied to colonies which died although there were no high levels of parasites: The colony was once strong, it reared a lot of young developing bees and then the adult bee population simply disappeared or died. With those symptoms it certainly is unique and it doesn't really match up with our expectations for parasitic mite loss and the like. But to date researchers have found few clues as to the exact cause of the disorder. And some senior scientists now say the disorder does not exist as a separate illness. Dr Dennis Anderson, principal research scientist on entomology with the Australian research organisation CSIRO, said the term could be distracting scientists from other work: It's misleading in the fact that the general public and beekeepers and now even researchers are under the impression that we've got some mysterious disorder here in our bees. And so researchers around the world are running round trying to find the cause of the disorder - and there's absolutely no proof that there's a disorder there. Previous declines His view is shared by some experts in the US. Conducting experiments at an isolated almond orchard in the Central Valley area of California, Frank Eischen, of the US Department of Agriculture, said it was probably true that there was no new single disease. We've seen these kinds of symptoms before, during the seventies, during the nineties, and now, he added. It's probably not a unique event in beekeeping to have large numbers of colonies die. Many experts speak about a perfect storm of impacts that are the real reason for the decline. Principal among them are infestations of the varroa mite, which suck the bees' blood and weaken their immune systems. There are also concerns that bees are being deprived of nutrition as urbanisation removes their
RE: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Tracey, I liked the show as well. I'm inclined to feel that it must be a good show at least, because Skiffy farmed it out to Last Call hours for viewing. We all know that they keep the crap (Those Wond'rous Skiffy Originals :P) in the primo time slots. I'll be watching. Speaking of Those Wond'rous Skiffy Originals, who's down for some War Wolves action tonight? (crickets) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : RE: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 15:14:29 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I loved the premise, I wanted to like it, but could not get into it. I liked to hear your views From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 3:12 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi We spoke very briefly a year or so ago about the South Africa-produced series a year or so ago. I'd noticed it was aired on SciFi really briefly, maybe one or two shows on a Saturday afternoon, then a couple aired in the middle of the night. I only caught an hour or so, and it was obvious that the full plot didn't unfold for several eps. But I never got to finish watching, as SciFi pulled it. Since then, I've heard lots of good things about Charlie Jade from various sources, so think i will check out the marathon next week. Anyone see this series? How was it? * http://www.scifi.com/charliejade/about/ Charlie Jade is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, which is inconceivable in Charlie's world. While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences. Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart. The show's creators are Robert Wertheimer (Bollywood/Hollywood, Due South, Robocop: The Series) and Chris Roland (Stander, Man to Man, The Bone Snatcher). Charlie Jade is written by Guy Mullally (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Little Men), David Cole (Cold Squad, Due South), Stephen Zoller (Anne of Green Gables, The Windsor Protocol) and Alex Epstein (Galidor). Executive producers are Wertheimer, Roland, Izidore Codron, Robin Spry and Jacques Pettigrew. Series regulars include: Jeffrey Pierce (The Others, West Wing, JAG) as Charlie, Marie-Julie Rivest (Savage Messiah), Michael Filipowich (Starhunter, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Tyrone Benskin (Deacons for Defense, The Long Island Incident), Michelle Burgers (The Schoolmaster, Sinbad), Danny Keogh (Citizen Verdict, Sinbad) and Patricia McKenzie (Stardom, No Alibi). A cross-section of directors from both Canada and South Africa provide the series' highly cinematic, cutting-edge signature style. Directors include T.J. Scott (Hercules, Xena, La Femme Nikita), Darrel James Roodt (City of Blood, Sarafina!) Jimmy Kaufman (Due South, Stargate SG-1) and Neal Sundstrom (Inside Out, Homeland). Post-production and state-of-the-art CGI were handled by CineGroupe in Montreal, who in the last year produced two U.S. series — Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension and Tripping the Rift. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Watchmen Busts Out $25 million on Opening Day
`Watchmen' Busts Out on Opening Day by Brandon Gray Billy Crudup in Watchmen March 7, 2009 In its full opening day, Watchmen pulled in an estimated $25.1 million on approximately 7,500 screens at 3,611 theaters, including an estimated $4.55 million from its first midnight shows. That ranks as the eighth-highest grossing opening day for a superhero movie and 32nd among all movies. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, other comic book adaptations rate higher opening days, including the first X-Men and Hulk pictures, but Watchmen's first day wasn't far off from the first weekends of previous Alan Moore adaptations V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Among R-rated movies, Watchmen's opening day was fifth behind The Matrix Reloaded, 300, Sex and the City and The Passion of the Christ. 300, the previous picture from Watchmen director Zack Snyder and the one referenced prominently in Watchmen's advertising campaign, raked in $28.1 million in its opening day on around 4,800 screens at 3,103 sites. That picture was released in early March 2007 and holds the overall March record for opening weekend ($70.9 million). Much further down the Friday box office chart, Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience had a steeper Friday-to-Friday drop than Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour did last year. Jonas Brothers plunged around 83 percent to an estimated $850,000, compared to Hannah Montana's 67 percent slide. The Jonas total is at less than $15 million in eight days, while Hannah had grossed more than three times as much at the same point. Meanwhile, Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail landed in second with over $2.5 million, followed by Taken with over $2.3 million. Both Taken and Paul Blart: Mall Cop continued to demonstrate longevity: each had drops of about 20 percent Friday-to-Friday. Slumdog Millionaire slipped 40 percent to over $1.9 million, while He's Just Not That Into You rounded out the Top Five with more than $1.3 million.
[scifinoir2] As Watchmen enter, Dark Knight Rides off into Sunset
Dark Knight' Rides Off Into the Sunset by Brandon Gray The Dark Knight March 7, 2009 As the Watchmen entered the fray, the biggest superhero exited. Distributor Warner Bros. has hung up the cowl and cape for The Dark Knight after 231 days of service. With a $533.3 million final tally as of Mar. 5, the picture is the top superhero or comic book movie of all time. The Dark Knight stands as the most attended movie since Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 1999, ranking 27th on the All Time Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation chart. Unadjusted, writer-director Christopher Nolan' Batman sequel is second only to Titanic, and its phenomenal 33-week run includes $49.9 million from IMAX venues, a record for a two-dimensional re-mastered IMAX release. Worldwide, which is domestic and foreign grosses combined, it recently crossed the billion dollar mark, the fourth movie in history to hit that milestone. One of the most impressive and relatively unheralded feats of The Dark Knight was how it performed by one of the key measures of a sequel's success: comparison to its predecessor. In 2005, Batman Begins reached blockbuster status, grossing $205.3 million. That was a great number on its own, especially given how the picture had to overcome the stench of the prior Batman movie, Batman and Robin. Batman Begins was well liked by moviegoers and the picture promised The Joker as the next villain (before Heath Ledger was even cast), getting the buzz rolling for the sequel. The Dark Knight was expected to exceed Batman Begins because of that foundation, but it soared at an unprecedented level for a sequel to a blockbuster, earning more than two and half times the gross of its predecessor. In its final week, The Dark Knight played at 54 sites, making $131,364 to rank in the Top 50. Business was up nearly five percent from the previous week and the picture continues this weekend at a handful of theaters, but Warner Bros. has pulled the plug. That's not unusual. Most studios cease box office tracking when their movies drop to a certain level, sometimes even when those movies are still showing at a significant number of theaters or ranking relatively highly on the charts. Dark Knight was the last hold-out to close among movies released in July. In addition to the end of The Dark Knight, Universal Pictures retired The Tale of Despereaux and The Unborn, despite the fact that each movie is still playing at over 100 theaters. The Tale of Despereaux was a modest mouse, grossing $50.9 million in 11 weeks. The Unborn, written and directed by Dark Knight story co-writer David S. Goyer, died out at $42.7 million in eight weeks, which was within the average range of similar horror movies.
[RE][scifinoir2] Life on Mars Sequel Airs Tonight on BBC America
Keith, I'm hoping to plug myself into this as soon as the DirectTV guy decides to grace my household with his presence. I've seen exactly one ep of Life on Mars, the last, so I know of what you speak. Still don't buy the notion. But I do have an Irish cousin named Murphy. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Life on Mars Sequel Airs Tonight on BBC America Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:01:21 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I hear that this new series, Ashes to Ashes, has already completed its first season in Britain, to good reviews, and has already been renewed for a second season. I never finished watching the conclusion Life on Mars, but warning!-- there's one line at the end of this story that apparently reveals what happened to Sam Tyler. *** http://www.buddytv.com/articles/life-on-mars/bbc-america-to-air-life-on-mar-25267.aspx As ABC continues to air the U.S. version of Life on Mars , fans of the police procedural show will have a chance to see what happens next to their favorite characters in the original U.K. series. BBC America has just acquired the U.S. premiere of Ashes to Ashes, the award-winning and highly anticipated sequel to Life on Mars . Slated to premiere in March 2009, the Life on Mars sequel follows Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) as he is reassigned from Manchester to London and embraces the '80s. He is joined by an experienced female detective, and trained psychologist from the 21st century, DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), who wakes up in 1981 after being shot in 2008. Frustrated by each other's stubbornness, the friction between Alex and Gene heats up and it becomes obvious there is more than just a professional tension emerging. And as the team takes on criminals in the nation's capital, they are joined by Hunt's faithful sidekicks, a newly permed Detective Sergeant Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and the overly cautious Detective Constable Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster). As with the parent series, the show's name comes from a David Bowie song of the era in which it is set, in this case the 1980 single Ashes to Ashes. Continuing with Life on Mars , it has been established that Alex Drake has been studying the suicide of DCI Sam Tyler and is familiar with the detailed description he recorded of his experiences of life in 1973 whilst he was actually in a coma in 2006. Meanwhile, fans can catch fresh episodes of the U.S. version of Life on Mars early next year on ABC. So far, seven episodes have already aired, leaving fans with 10 more installments to enjoy before the first season comes to a close. -Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist Source: BBC America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[scifinoir2] Marvel Writer on X-Men Future in Films
Marvel Writer on X-Men http://movies.ign.com/articles/958/958617p1.html Films Matt Fraction on the future of the mutant film franchise. by Orlando http://movies.ign.com/email.html Parfitt, IGN UK UK, March 3, 2009 - Matt Fraction http://stars.ign.com/objects/142/14218215.html , currently in charge of scripting Marvel's The Uncanny X-Men, has been giving his thoughts on the future of the film franchise to MTV News http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/03/02/matt-fraction-talks-x-men-movies-casan ova-last-of-the-independents-adaptations/ . When asked if he'd have any advice for filmmakers taking on the mutant franchise, he said: Don't try to use every X-Men issue that had ever been written in a single movie. He went on: I thought that was the biggest failing of the third one [X-Men: The Last Stand http://movies.ign.com/objects/040/040731.html ] -- they certainly had the action right and the budget right, but it was six different stories at once. These are incredibly rich characters; they are the very definition of character-driven comic books. These characters tell stories all by themselves. At present there are several future incarnations of the X-Men on cinemas, with Wolverine http://movies.ign.com/objects/034/034461.html getting his own spin-off film this May, writer Josh Swartz working on X-Men: First Class http://movies.ign.com/objects/142/14270431.html , and a Magneto movie also mooted. Fraction also spoke about the possible Hollywood interest in his independent comics Casanova and Last of the Independents, saying: It's like buying a lottery ticket... There are a lot of people who like the work and are really working hard on it but, you know, Hollywood makes, what, 70 movies a year? So we'll see.
[RE][scifinoir2] Jericho Coming Back?
As long as they keep it real and tight, I'm game. Being able to catch it in syndication a few weeks ago wetted my appetite for it nicely. To think that I wasted time resisting the wise voices here when they all bade me watch... Martin (chagrined, but still nowhere *near* watching the V-Word Series) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Jericho Coming Back? Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 14:42:28 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com It appears fans might witness the Second American Civil War, after all. by Colin Moriarty http://media.ignimgs.com/media/ign/images/readmyblog.gif March 1, 2009 - Today, at the final day of San Francisco's WonderCon, the news Jericho fans have been waiting for since the series finale aired last spring has finally been spoken -- a Jericho movie, and possibly other Jericho-related projects are currently in the works. Sitting on a panel for the upcoming CBS serial-miniseries hybrid Harper's Island, co-executive producers Dan Shotz and Karim Zriek, veterans of Jericho, were asked the fated question at the end of the question-and-answer segment with the audience. Will there be more Jericho, or won't there be? Hawkins and Jake delivered the bomb to Texas. Now what? Well, there's reason to rejoice, because the struggle between the corrupt company Jennings amp; Rall and the tattered remnants of the American government might not be over. The Jericho movie is in development, spoke Karim Zriek, continuing, there's going to be announcement probably this coming week, not about a Jericho movie, but about another avenue which we're going to continue telling the Jericho story. Confused? Don't be. It appears that more than one avenue is being investigated for continuing the story of America's nuclear demise and subsequent civil war. But as for the movie, specifically? We are seriously talking about a Jericho movie, Zriek assured the audience, though nothing is finalized yet. Dan Shotz added, we're trying different avenues to keep the story going, because Jericho fans are great fans. http://tv.ign.com/articles/958/958252p1.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Marvel Writer on X-Men Future in Films
From his lips to Marvel Studios' ears... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Marvel Writer on X-Men Future in Films Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 17:30:31 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Chris de Morsella cdemorse...@yahoo.com,'Sincere' sincere1...@gmail.com, ggs...@yahoo.com Marvel Writer on X-Men Films Matt Fraction on the future of the mutant film franchise. by Orlando Parfitt, IGN UK UK, March 3, 2009 - Matt Fraction , currently in charge of scripting Marvel's The Uncanny X-Men, has been giving his thoughts on the future of the film franchise to MTV News ova-last-of-the-independents-adaptations/ . When asked if he'd have any advice for filmmakers taking on the mutant franchise, he said: Don't try to use every X-Men issue that had ever been written in a single movie. He went on: I thought that was the biggest failing of the third one [X-Men: The Last Stand ] -- they certainly had the action right and the budget right, but it was six different stories at once. These are incredibly rich characters; they are the very definition of character-driven comic books. These characters tell stories all by themselves. At present there are several future incarnations of the X-Men on cinemas, with Wolverine getting his own spin-off film this May, writer Josh Swartz working on X-Men: First Class , and a Magneto movie also mooted. Fraction also spoke about the possible Hollywood interest in his independent comics Casanova and Last of the Independents, saying: It's like buying a lottery ticket... There are a lot of people who like the work and are really working hard on it but, you know, Hollywood makes, what, 70 movies a year? So we'll see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
[RE][scifinoir2] Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book
If ever should I waver in my determination *not* to watch this flick, I'll hold Moore's own words as a reminder. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book Date : Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:12:01 - From : ravenadal ravena...@yahoo.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com www.chicagotribune.com/features/booksmags/chi-0307-mooremar07,0,4692358.story chicagotribune.com Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book By Christopher Borrelli and Robert K. Elder Tribune reporters March 7, 2009 Over the past 30 years, author Alan Moore has almost single-handedly reinvented the comic book, transforming its language, broadening its scope and deepening its intellect. So, naturally, Hollywood has been poaching his stories for years, the most egregious being the 2003 loud and dumb adaptation of his otherwise highly literate The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. There also have been films based on his works, such as Constantine, From Hell and a glossy but tonally faithful version of V for Vendetta; both last year's The Dark Knight and Tim Burton's original Batman owe a debt to Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke. This weekend, however, we get director Zack Snyder's sprawling adaptation of Watchmen, Moore's most celebrated creation. Initially a 12-issue series with artist Dave Gibbons, the collected volume has become one of the most acclaimed graphic novels ever, hailed by Time magazine as one of the best 100 novels of the 20th Century. It's about aging superheroes, nuclear politics and social engineering. That said, Moore has sworn off movie profits inspired by his books; he recently told the Los Angeles Times that he is opposed to movies based on his work. About Watchmen he said, I will be spitting venom all over it for months to come. As with most of his comics, Moore has insisted Watchmen is inherently unfilmable, heresy in this time of inevitable big-screen adaptation. But he's right. Comics are comics, period, with a language and tradition of their own. They are unique and separate from other art forms, not merely a series of detailed storyboards waiting to be translated into a film. Just as great literature is no promise of a great movie, great comic books don't automatically make better comic-book movies. Ask Frank Miller, Moore's American counterpart, whose Batman tale The Dark Knight Returns was released around the same time as Watchmen and became just as much of a classic. Though Hollywood has been good to Miller, with faithful adaptations of 300 and Sin City, Miller's own directorial take on artist Will Eisner's creation, The Spirit, released a few months ago, was not only unfaithful, but also murderous to the original. With Moore, the text matters. The page matters. The context matters. At his best, Moore is a deconstructionist, ideally suited to an age when we're so familiar with the history and spandex and capes that mark the superhero form that we prefer to go straight to the deconstruction. Moore tears apart iconic scenarios and cliches to rebuild and rework, as he did with Top 10, a 1999-2001 comic-book series about super cops in a city where everyone from the prostitutes to the hot dog vendors are super, and therefore, no one is. Likewise, Tom Strong, another millennial series, was a thinly veiled work of Superman criticism, about a strong man tone deaf to his actions, told in the earnest voice of early comics. Not that Moore is squarely rooted in superhero boots. From Hell, his Jack the Ripper opus, created from 19991 to 1996, is impossible to digest fully on a first reading. It is a doorstop of a black-and-white narrative and not the mystery you expect; it is less curious about the identity of the killer than the why and how of his acts. A signature of Moore's work is how attuned it is to the paranoia peeking from behind the most upstanding facade, and how it treats the most monstrous. But there's also a British cheekiness about Moore, 54, who claims to be a recluse. There's a playful fussiness to him that, at worst, comes off like a teenage affectationthe muddled philosophical arguments driving the story of muddled anarchists in V for Vendetta, for instance. He is also a cultural treasure chest, spilling over with connections that mash up a century of literature to create something new that honors the old. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which finds Mina Harker (of Bram Stoker's Dracula) teaming up with the Invisible Man and Captain Nemo, has nods to contemporary relevance, detours into Orwellian London, but never forgets the simple exhilaration of a Victorian adventure. The quintessential Moore, of course, remains Watchmen, about which much ink has been spilled and no less than three new books have been released that are tied to the film adaptation: Watchmen: The Art of the Film and Watchmen: The Official Film Companion
[RE][scifinoir2] Life on Mars' Annie to joins Witches of Eastwick
I'd say something, but it would be akin to spitting into an F4 tornado. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Life on Mars' Annie to joins Witches of Eastwick Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 14:00:14 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Gretchen Mol Sticks with ABC Life on Mars' Annie to join a new supernatural pilot. by Matt Fowler http://media.ignimgs.com/media/ign/images/readmyblog.gif March 3, 2009 - The bad news is, as we already reported, that Life on Mars will not be getting a second season. The good-ish news is that it will get to actually air its series finale. One of Mars' actors is already reportedly in talks to star in another pilot for ABC, which is one of the benefits in finding out in March that your show's been axed. According to EW.com's Michael Ausiello, Gretchen Mol is almost ready and able to hop on board Eastwick , ABC's rebooting of the movie The Witches of Eastwick. http://tvmedia.ign.com/tv/image/article/958/958773/ActressGr_Jemal_14997081_ Max_1236110732.jpg - Jemal Countess/WireImage.com It is unknown at this time what role Mol will be playing on Eastwick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
RE: [RE][scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple
Two more great catches, Tracey. I was abou to question your second one, then I realized that you were right. The Admiral's not human. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : RE: [RE][scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 12:52:25 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Worf and Dax Battle Star Gallactica: Adama and the Prez From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Martin Baxter Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 12:41 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple Keith... they left out Delenn and John Sheridan... Martin (knows when to fight the good fight and when to unleash the WMD) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples - including Octavia Butler Couple Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 09:30:07 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella To : Nine Hot Human/Alien Couples (And One That's Gross) By Annalee Newitz , 4:05 PM on Thu Mar 5 2009, 18,789 views http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/liquidsky6.jpgI don't know about you, but I got into scifi as a young teen because I was looking for sex. You know, hot human-on-alien action. And I've got some of that for you today. (NSFW) Of course there are about a zillion human/alien pairings in scifi, going all the way back to John Carter's dalliance with that red hot princess from Mars. But some couples stand out (like Hulk and Caiera in the recent Planet Hulk series) and some are forgettable (like Karen Allen and the glowy Jeff Bridges alien in Starman, which is sadly not based on the comic book of the same name). While of course we prefer our human/alien pairings to involve lots of sex, some of the hottest human/alien couples are purely romantic. Their liaisons lead to marriage or children, which doesn't necessarily make them less scrumptious than couples whose trysts are basically excuses for a lot of tentacles and crazy lubrication scenes. So without further ado, here are nine of the hottest human/alien couples we could think of, and one couple whose horribleness will remind you why some intergalactic smoochfests should never be blessed by starship captains. Margaret and the invisible aliens who kill her lovers in Liquid Sky Let's start in the most obvious place, shall we? Liquid Sky is a completely insane movie from the 1980s, about a bunch of punk/new wave models who are addicted to coke, totally genderfucked, wear neon-streaked clothes, and have a lot of gaybiwhatevs sex. Margaret is one such model, pictured fetchingly above, whose main goal in life is to destroy her rival male model (played by the same actress who plays Margeret) and to have a ton of meaningless sex with her freaky girlfriend and a bunch of other cute clubsters. You're whirled in and out of the new wave dreamscape until suddenly a floating pie pan enters the picture, and starts zapping Margaret's lovers to death at the moment they orgasm. At first, Margaret thinks her pussy has the power to kill, and she manages to pick off several of her lovers before targeting her frenemies. But at last she realizes that some aliens are behind the whole thing, and she decides that these aliens are the only creatures who truly care about her. I won't spoil the ending for you, but suffice to say that an insane-looking punk wedding dress is involved. http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/manwhofelltoass.jpg Thomas Newton and Mary-Lou from The Man Who Fell to Earth In Nicholas Roeg's movie version of the (very different) Walter Tevis novel, David Bowie plays Thomas Newton, a sexy, geeky, genderfucky 1970s alien (yes, the 70s and 80s were a time of androgynous aliens, and hence an awesome time for love). Trying to save his home planet from a terrible drought, Thomas comes to Earth, a planet he's heard is entirely covered in water. Unfortunately his ship crashes, and he's stuck on our watery ball until he can raise enough money from various alien inventions to build another ship and return home. As he gets unbelievably rich from things like a tiny silver ball that plays music, Thomas slides into human decadence. A young woman named Mary-Lou introduces him to sex and booze, and pretty soon he's revealing his alien side to her with ass-biting and (later) showing her his true (lube-covered) alien form. There is even a lubey alien/human sex scene the likes of which you'll never see anywhere else. Plus, hot young Bowie in full alien mode! On the hotness scale, this couple is in the danger zone. http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/03/dickandmary.jpgDick and Mary from Third Rock from the Sun Human/alien love went all domestic in the 1990s with sitcom Third Rock from the Sun, where a group of
[scifinoir2] Re: Life on Mars Sequel Airs Tonight on BBC America
It is being preceded by the last episode of the British version of Life on Mars. It is on now and will be repeated at 10 pm CST. Ashes to Ashes plays at 8 pm and repeats at 11 pm. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@... wrote: I hear that this new series, Ashes to Ashes, has already completed its first season in Britain, to good reviews, and has already been renewed for a second season. I never finished watching the conclusion Life on Mars, but warning!-- there's one line at the end of this story that apparently reveals what happened to Sam Tyler. *** http://www.buddytv.com/articles/life-on-mars/bbc-america-to-air-life-on-mar-25267.aspx As ABC continues to air the U.S. version of Life on Mars , fans of the police procedural show will have a chance to see what happens next to their favorite characters in the original U.K. series. BBC America has just acquired the U.S. premiere of Ashes to Ashes, the award-winning and highly anticipated sequel to Life on Mars . Slated to premiere in March 2009, the Life on Mars sequel follows Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) as he is reassigned from Manchester to London and embraces the '80s. He is joined by an experienced female detective, and trained psychologist from the 21st century, DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), who wakes up in 1981 after being shot in 2008. Frustrated by each other's stubbornness, the friction between Alex and Gene heats up and it becomes obvious there is more than just a professional tension emerging. And as the team takes on criminals in the nation's capital, they are joined by Hunt's faithful sidekicks, a newly permed Detective Sergeant Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and the overly cautious Detective Constable Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster). As with the parent series, the show's name comes from a David Bowie song of the era in which it is set, in this case the 1980 single Ashes to Ashes. Continuing with Life on Mars , it has been established that Alex Drake has been studying the suicide of DCI Sam Tyler and is familiar with the detailed description he recorded of his experiences of life in 1973 whilst he was actually in a coma in 2006. Meanwhile, fans can catch fresh episodes of the U.S. version of Life on Mars early next year on ABC. So far, seven episodes have already aired, leaving fans with 10 more installments to enjoy before the first season comes to a close. -Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist Source: BBC America
Re: [RE][scifinoir2] Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book
It should be noted that Alan Moore may be the single worst suited author in the history of writing to judge screen adaptations of his own work. His self destructive lunacy is legendary. Bosco --- On Sat, 3/7/09, Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com wrote: From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, March 7, 2009, 7:35 PM If ever should I waver in my determination *not* to watch this flick, I'll hold Moore's own words as a reminder. -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book Date : Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:12:01 - From : ravenadal ravena...@yahoo. com To : scifino...@yahoogro ups.com www.chicagotribune. com/features/ booksmags/ chi-0307- mooremar07, 0,4692358. story chicagotribune. com Alan Moore, author of Watchmen, reinvented the comic book By Christopher Borrelli and Robert K. Elder Tribune reporters March 7, 2009 Over the past 30 years, author Alan Moore has almost single-handedly reinvented the comic book, transforming its language, broadening its scope and deepening its intellect. So, naturally, Hollywood has been poaching his stories for years, the most egregious being the 2003 loud and dumb adaptation of his otherwise highly literate The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. There also have been films based on his works, such as Constantine, From Hell and a glossy but tonally faithful version of V for Vendetta; both last year's The Dark Knight and Tim Burton's original Batman owe a debt to Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke. This weekend, however, we get director Zack Snyder's sprawling adaptation of Watchmen, Moore's most celebrated creation. Initially a 12-issue series with artist Dave Gibbons, the collected volume has become one of the most acclaimed graphic novels ever, hailed by Time magazine as one of the best 100 novels of the 20th Century. It's about aging superheroes, nuclear politics and social engineering. That said, Moore has sworn off movie profits inspired by his books; he recently told the Los Angeles Times that he is opposed to movies based on his work. About Watchmen he said, I will be spitting venom all over it for months to come. As with most of his comics, Moore has insisted Watchmen is inherently unfilmable, heresy in this time of inevitable big-screen adaptation. But he's right. Comics are comics, period, with a language and tradition of their own. They are unique and separate from other art forms, not merely a series of detailed storyboards waiting to be translated into a film. Just as great literature is no promise of a great movie, great comic books don't automatically make better comic-book movies. Ask Frank Miller, Moore's American counterpart, whose Batman tale The Dark Knight Returns was released around the same time as Watchmen and became just as much of a classic. Though Hollywood has been good to Miller, with faithful adaptations of 300 and Sin City, Miller's own directorial take on artist Will Eisner's creation, The Spirit, released a few months ago, was not only unfaithful, but also murderous to the original. With Moore, the text matters. The page matters. The context matters. At his best, Moore is a deconstructionist, ideally suited to an age when we're so familiar with the history and spandex and capes that mark the superhero form that we prefer to go straight to the deconstruction. Moore tears apart iconic scenarios and cliches to rebuild and rework, as he did with Top 10, a 1999-2001 comic-book series about super cops in a city where everyone from the prostitutes to the hot dog vendors are super, and therefore, no one is. Likewise, Tom Strong, another millennial series, was a thinly veiled work of Superman criticism, about a strong man tone deaf to his actions, told in the earnest voice of early comics. Not that Moore is squarely rooted in superhero boots. From Hell, his Jack the Ripper opus, created from 19991 to 1996, is impossible to digest fully on a first reading. It is a doorstop of a black-and-white narrative and not the mystery you expect; it is less curious about the identity of the killer than the why and how of his acts. A signature of Moore's work is how attuned it is to the paranoia peeking from behind the most upstanding facade, and how it treats the most monstrous. But there's also a British cheekiness about Moore, 54, who claims to be a recluse. There's a playful fussiness to him that, at worst, comes off like a teenage affectationthe muddled philosophical arguments driving the story of muddled anarchists in V for Vendetta, for instance. He is also a cultural treasure chest, spilling over with connections that mash up a century of literature to create something new that honors the old.
Re: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man?
I hear you!!! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 7:59:37 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man? But seeing Rhodes reduced to a geek who runs tactical support from his bedroom -- that's really upsetting! Reading that, the words of the Immortal Bard come to mind. I was not angry since I came to France until this instant. Martin (has found another one that will remain unwatched, even if left on doorstep wrapped in C-notes) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man? Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:47:51 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Yeah, but that teenaged Stark wasn't an Iron Man in this sense, and certainly not anything like they're planning. And yeah, you're right about stripping away everything that makes Tony Stark work. I completely forgot about that part of it, so focused on my dislike of the overall concept. But seeing Rhodes reduced to a geek who runs tactical support from his bedroom network--that's really upsetting! - Original Message - From: B. Smith To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 2:15:48 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Re: What's Next, Baby Iron Man? Well there are two young Iron Men in the mythos: the teenaged Tony Stark that replaced the Kang corrupted older version after The Crossing storyline. He was rebooted to the normal version during Heroes Reborn. The Young Avengers had Iron Lad but he turned out to be not a young Tony Stark but a young Kang. That said I agree with you. This Tiny Tony version of Iron Man is not needed and strips away a lot of what makes Tony work as a character. The alcoholism, the guilt about his tech being used for weapons and being sold to the underworld to create a class of tech criminals, etc. are integral to the mythos. --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com , Keith Johnson wrote: Why oh why do people always feel the need to create young so-and-so shows? There is *nothing* in the Iron Man mythos to support this, yet here NickToons is debuting a new show next month, based on sixteen-year-old boy genius Tony Stark, wielding the power of the armour! And yes, the show has all the regulars like teen Happy Hogan, teen Pepper Potts. There's even a young computer geek Rhodey Rhodes, who stays at home in his room and runs logistics/tactical/computer support for Tony's missions (and who was it saying that Leverage marginalized the brother to nothing but behind-the-scenes support?) And this not-old-enough-to-vote Iron Man (Iron Boy?) will be fighting classic villains like Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, and Living Laser. I guess all the villains will be disaffected youth, alienated from their parents and schoolmates? Gaaah! I've always hated stuff like Baby Looney Toons, Flinstone Kids, that horrible Superbaby back in the day that showed an infant Superman, etc. So I'll avoid this one. Let's just hope they don't follow this up with a show about the infant Iron Baby, flying around in steel diapers, saying stuff like Me need to charge up me armor real quick! http://www.marvel.com/news/moviestories.4184.First_Look~colon~_Iron_Man~colon~_Armored_Adventures First Look: Iron Man: Armored Adventures Animated Series Watch the debut trailer for Shellhead's 2009 animated series right now! Iron Man Iron Man: Armored Adventures launches Marvel's newly crowned box-office king Tony Stark on to the small screen, and in 2009 the first 26 animated episodes will begin airing on Nicktoons. Here's a brief description of this high tech new action adventure series: Mandarin Tony Stark, heir to a billion-dollar corporation, lives a life of luxury, free to pursue his chief interests -- seeing extreme thrills, solving scientific mysteries, and creating mind-boggling inventions. But everything goes horribly wrong when a tragic accident robs Tony of his father and nearly costs him his own life. Now dependent on his own amazing technology for survival and dedicated to battling corruption, Tony must reconcile the pressure of teenage life with the duties of a super hero. Iron Man and the Mandarin Duking It Out Inside his remarkable invention, Tony Stark is geared for high-speed flight, high-tech battles and high-octane adventure! He is IRON MAN! Although, we are still months away from its Nicktoons television début, you can be the first to see an episode of Iron Man: Armored Adventures at the San Diego Comic-Con. Tony Stark Come meet Co-Producer Josh Fine, Head Writer Chris Yost and others involved with this invincible new Iron Man series
Re: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
Well, there is that! - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:02:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Now, Keith! You're not being honest here. You *are* feeling something about this flick. That it should be tossed in the trash as soon as the first, final and only print is made. ;-) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 23:45:39 + (UTC) From : Keith Johnson keithbjohn...@comcast.net To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Huh. Multi-ethnic in my experience in H'Wood usually means that the preponderance of cool heroes are white, the villains may have some colour, the the background slaves, servants, and warriors are the most likely places to find color. I also bristle whenever people seem to feel that actively seeking people of color is somehow narrow-minded or exclusionary. Not feeling this thing at all... - Original Message - From: Tracey de Morsella To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, Cinque3000 Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 2:11:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the Washington Post , casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender . With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like – described only as exotically Asian – casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it. Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson…McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'… When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy, Ricketts responds. There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.' We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010. http://ad.doubleclick.net/activity;src=1663624;met=1;v=1;pid=33727778;aid=212328659;ko=0;cid=30417960;rid=30435837;rv=1;timestamp=3497083;eid1=9;ecn1=1;etm1=0; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi
Forgot about War Wolves . Was it any good? - Original Message - From: Martin Baxter truthseeker...@lycos.com To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Sent: Saturday, March 7, 2009 8:14:43 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi Tracey, I liked the show as well. I'm inclined to feel that it must be a good show at least, because Skiffy farmed it out to Last Call hours for viewing. We all know that they keep the crap (Those Wond'rous Skiffy Originals :P) in the primo time slots. I'll be watching. Speaking of Those Wond'rous Skiffy Originals, who's down for some War Wolves action tonight? (crickets) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : RE: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 15:14:29 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com I loved the premise, I wanted to like it, but could not get into it. I liked to hear your views From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Keith Johnson Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 3:12 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [scifinoir2] Charlie Jade Marathon Airs This Tuesday on SciFi We spoke very briefly a year or so ago about the South Africa-produced series a year or so ago. I'd noticed it was aired on SciFi really briefly, maybe one or two shows on a Saturday afternoon, then a couple aired in the middle of the night. I only caught an hour or so, and it was obvious that the full plot didn't unfold for several eps. But I never got to finish watching, as SciFi pulled it. Since then, I've heard lots of good things about Charlie Jade from various sources, so think i will check out the marathon next week. Anyone see this series? How was it? * http://www.scifi.com/charliejade/about/ Charlie Jade is a rogue private detective in a world dominated by greedy multinational corporations. When Charlie sees the corpse of a beautiful young woman, he realizes she embodies the impossible: She has no identity, which is inconceivable in Charlie's world. While tracking her suspected killer, Charlie discovers a secret desert facility. A massive explosion propels him into a parallel universe that seduces him with its similarities and baffles him with its differences. Charlie is soon drawn into a conflict that involves his home universe, the one he now inhabits as well as a third universe. The third world is pristine and pacifist … with unsuspected terror at its heart. The show's creators are Robert Wertheimer (Bollywood/Hollywood, Due South, Robocop: The Series) and Chris Roland (Stander, Man to Man, The Bone Snatcher). Charlie Jade is written by Guy Mullally (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Little Men), David Cole (Cold Squad, Due South), Stephen Zoller (Anne of Green Gables, The Windsor Protocol) and Alex Epstein (Galidor). Executive producers are Wertheimer, Roland, Izidore Codron, Robin Spry and Jacques Pettigrew. Series regulars include: Jeffrey Pierce (The Others, West Wing, JAG) as Charlie, Marie-Julie Rivest (Savage Messiah), Michael Filipowich (Starhunter, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Tyrone Benskin (Deacons for Defense, The Long Island Incident), Michelle Burgers (The Schoolmaster, Sinbad), Danny Keogh (Citizen Verdict, Sinbad) and Patricia McKenzie (Stardom, No Alibi). A cross-section of directors from both Canada and South Africa provide the series' highly cinematic, cutting-edge signature style. Directors include T.J. Scott (Hercules, Xena, La Femme Nikita), Darrel James Roodt (City of Blood, Sarafina!) Jimmy Kaufman (Due South, Stargate SG-1) and Neal Sundstrom (Inside Out, Homeland). Post-production and state-of-the-art CGI were handled by CineGroupe in Montreal, who in the last year produced two U.S. series — Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension and Tripping the Rift. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
Re: [scifinoir2] Ack of McNuggets Prompts 911 call - 3 times
I know that I am late in responding to my mail. But, if you can do that and get away with that then I am going to call based on the fact that the bread that I get at Subway is hard as frak. I mean I want my 5 dollars back for that hard @#$! footlong!! --Lavender From: Tracey de Morsella Sent: Wednesday, March 04, 2009 2:03 PM To: ' Lockhart, Daryle ' ; afrikanm...@hotmail.com ; 'Albert Fields' ; bettil...@msn.com ; CINQUE ; 'Cleo' ; dorothyh...@sbcglobal.net ; duva...@hotmail.com ; fis...@bellsouth.net ; 'GTW' ; 'Jeffrey Ballou' ; 'Kai Pettaway' ; kalpub...@aol.com ; keithbjohn...@comcast.net ; 'Kera' ; kimbe...@luftworld.com ; 'Leroy Hughes' ; 'Leslie' ; 'Logic' ; 'Martin Baxter' ; 'Marvalous' ; 'Michael Gordon' ; michael.v.w.gor...@gmail.com ; 'ravenadal' ; rs...@yahoo.com ; 'Seku Brathwaite' ; 'Valery Jean' ; 'Wendell Theophilus Smith' ; 'Whitney J Evans' ; williamsf...@speakeasy.net ; 'Zanfordino Anthony' Subject: [scifinoir2] Ack of McNuggets Prompts 911 call - 3 times Woman Calls 911 Three Times To Protest Lack Of Chicken Nuggets Police were not buying Latreasa L. Goodman's definition of emergency after she called 911 three times to report that her local McDonald's was out of chicken nuggets. Goodman had paid for her 10-piece McNuggets but was then informed by the employees that the restaurant had run out. Goodman claims she was refused a refund and felt it rose to the level of a 911 emergency. Police have charged Goodman with misusing 911. The Smoking Gun has more information here. Listen to Goodman's dubious 911 calls below. See video http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/04/911-mcnuggets-call-latrea_n_171744.html People may lie, but the evidence rarely does.
RE: [RE][scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy
LOL!!! _ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Martin Baxter Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 8:55 AM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy No excuses necessary, my friend. As long as streaming video of the event is provided... -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] TIVO/AMAZON orgy Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 08:30:08 -0500 From : Reece Jennings mcjennings...@yahoo.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Excuse me. I was in the middle of an orgy. I bought and installed 2 TIVO units on my home wireless network last night. While perusing the TIVO site, I spotted something about being able to rent and download movies from Netflix, so I immediately clicked on it! Well, it seems I would need an HD TIVO unit, so that won't work... So I see Amazon downloads. I'm thinking HD there, too, but I go and look. NO HD needed! So I link my TIVO account to my Amazon 1-click account, click on MILITARY movies, and I'm in heaven! I'll be back next week! Do they have TIVO rehab yet? TA -- Hello, my name is Maurice, and I'm a Tivo-holic. I'm also an Amazonaholic, but I already belong to AA because of my drinking! BURP! Seriously, great service! Maurice Maurice C. Jennings Certified Credit Consultant Credit Justice Services FEATURES THE 75 Day Credit Makeover. potential increase of 50 - 100 points in your credit score in 75 days or less! 100% Money Back Guarantee* *Terms and conditions apply Identity Theft Solutions, too! http://www.legacycreditsavers.com 860-202-1041 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
RE: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA _ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Martin Baxter Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 3:31 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Cc: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; 'Cinque3000' Subject: [RE][scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. ... in Virginia... Martin (waiting for Keith to begin screaming) -[ Received Mail Content ]-- Subject : [scifinoir2] Airbender: Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. Date : Sat, 7 Mar 2009 11:11:01 -0800 From : Tracey de Morsella tdli...@multiculturaladvantage.com To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, 'Cinque3000' cinque3...@verizon.net Airbender Casting Update Shyamalan looking for his Earth Kingdom in Virginia. by Christopher Monfette March 5, 2009 - According to the 2088.html Washington Post, casting directors are currently bounding about Northern Virginia and Arlington searching through the local population of Mongolians for roles amongst the Earth Kingdom in M. Night Shyamalan's live-action adaptation of The Last Airbender. With no real model for what a member of the Earth Kingdom should look like - described only as exotically Asian - casting director DeeDee Ricketts comments, Night doesn't know what it is he wants, but he'll know it when he sees it. Citing concerns over the predominance of white faces in a largely ethnic story, the article states: In December, the lead Airbender characters of Zuko, Aang and Sokka were filled by a trio of young white males: pop singer Jesse McCartney, newcomer Noah Ringer (a karate whiz from Texas) and Twilight star Jackson Rathbone. Those character names again: Zuko, Aang and Sokka. Played by a Jesse, a Noah and a Jackson.McCartney jumped ship last month -- 'scheduling conflicts with his music tour' -- and was replaced by Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, a Brit of Indian heritage. The fan base kept simmering. The switch of just one cast member 'reeks of tokenism'. When you take a beloved story that has a fan base, you'll never be able to make everyone happy, Ricketts responds. There's been some talk that we're casting authentic Asians as a response to the backlash, which is totally wrong because our world is multi-ethnic and the Avatar world will be multi-ethnic.' We'll see just what kind of face Shyamalan ascribes to the world of The Last Airbender when the film releases in July of 2010. http://ad.doubleclick.net/activity;src=1663624;met=1;v=1;pid=33727778;aid=21 2328659;ko=0;cid=30417960;rid=30435837;rv=1;timestamp=3497083;eid1=9;ecn1=1 ;etm1=0; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
RE: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson on Nick Fury deal: 'It's always a joy to lose an eye'
VERY cool, Tracey! _ From: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com [mailto:scifino...@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Tracey de Morsella Sent: Saturday, March 07, 2009 2:31 PM To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com; 'Cinque3000'; ggs...@yahoo.com; 'Sincere' Subject: [scifinoir2] Samuel L. Jackson on Nick Fury deal: 'It's always a joy to lose an eye' I sent an e-mail to Samuel L. Jackson congratulating him on his http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/02/the-money-patch.html nine-movie deal with Marvel Studios and he shot back an answer right away: Thanks for even caring. It's always a joy lose an eye, gain a patch and a really big facial scar in the name of character. Plus, I get to run the largest world-peace task force in the world, S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm glad that in the end we were able to reach across the aisle and put our differences aside and do what's best for the franchise and the fans ... ME TOO! I talked to him by phone a couple of hours later (all of this was late last week, right before I left for WonderCon in San Francisco) and he said there was no false posturing in his dealings with Marvel; he had reached http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/01/nick-fury-no-mo.html#mo re a point where he was quite sure he would never play the role of Nick Fury. No one was more surprised than me that it turned around, he said. It's great that it did. -- Geoff Boucher http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/03/samuel-l-jackso.html
Re: [scifinoir2] (unknown)
Thank you, Aubrey. YIKES! Power just came back! How did you do that??? Lol!! Gotta go start my clothes dryer again. Thanks for the company! Sent via BlackBerry by ATT -Original Message- From: Aubrey Leatherwood aubrey.leatherw...@hotmail.com Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 22:05:04 To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [scifinoir2] (unknown) Aww Maurice, I'm editing right now, but I'm here to keep you company on your blackberry! :) Thanks for being my new facebook buddy! Aubrey Leatherwood www.aubreyleatherwood.com FaceBook * MySpace The People You Know, The Sex They Have ROMANTIC TIMES NOMINEE FOR BEST CONTEMPORARY EROTICA 2008 ISBN: 978-0-9818905-0-0 Lyrical Press. Inc To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com From: mcjennings...@yahoo.com Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2009 02:57:52 + Subject: [scifinoir2] (unknown) We lost power, so I'm laying here in semi-darkness, gladdened every time my Blackberry's little red light signals an email has arrived! How pathetic is that? I'm reminded of the Twilight Zone episode wher Burgess Meredith was the lone survivor of an attack. He piled up books, sorted them, and prepared for a reading orgy. Then he broke his only pair of glasses! Well, I couldn't find my glasses, so I couldn't see these little keys. Just a moment of panic! Lol! Sent via BlackBerry by ATT _ Windows Live™ Contacts: Organize your contact list. http://windowslive.com/connect/post/marcusatmicrosoft.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!503D1D86EBB2B53C!2285.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_UGC_Contacts_032009
[scifinoir2] Marvel's Marvelous 4th Quarter earnings
http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2009/02/24/marvel-4th-quarter-earnings/#more-1293 Marvel 4th Quarter earnings Marvel today released its financials for the fourth quarter of 2008 which ended on December 31st, as well as record net sales, net income and earnings per share for the full year 2008. For the quarter, Marvel reported net sales of $224.3 million and net income of $63.0 million, compared to $109.3 million and a net income of $27.6 million for Q4 2007. For 2009, Marvel reported net sales of $676.2 million and net income of $205.5 million, compared to net sales of $485.8 million and net income of $139.8 million in 2007. The quarterly results which translate to 80 cents per share, beat analysts' projections of 70 cents per share for the fourth quarter. According to the company, the growth in revenue and net income is mostly due to Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, the first two feature films produced by Marvel Studios. By segment: Q4 (in millions) Licensing: Net Sales: $55.3 (08) $76.1 (07) Publishing: Net Sales $33.1 (08) $30.3 (07) Film Production: Net Sales: $135.5 (08) (07) Other: Net Sales: $0.4 (08) $2.9 (07) Annual (in millions) Licensing: Net Sales: $292.8 (08) $343.6 (07) Publishing: Net Sales: $125.4 (08) $125.7 (07) Film Production: Net Sales: $254.6 (08) (07) Other: Net Sales: $3.4 (08) $16.5 (07) From Marvel's report: Marvel's Chairman, Morton Handel, commented, Our fourth quarter and full year results reflect the benefits derived from our strategy to produce our own feature films. In addition to providing a substantial contribution to our operating results, our 2008 theatrical releases have raised the level of global awareness for Marvel and two of our key brands. We look forward to further building awareness of our characters with an active slate of TV animation, including Wolverine and the X-Mencurrently airing on Nicktoons, Iron Man: Armored Adventures, launching soon on Nicktoons, The Spectacular Spider-Man which will begin airing on Disney XD in March and Marvel Super Hero Squad which debuts this fall on Cartoon Network. Underscoring the strength of our financial performance is the growing worldwide prominence of, and consumer affinity for, the Marvel brand as well as our character brands. Marvel is keenly focused on developing our brands and on the partners we choose to work with around the world. This focus affects our decision-making across all of our businesses and is critical to driving long-term consumer demand for Marvel branded products and entertainment. A recent example of our partner focus was last week's multi-year extension of our master toy license agreement with Hasbro, Inc. Hasbro has done a remarkable job with the Marvel Universe on a worldwide basis, and we are very pleased to extend our partnership with them. Fourth Quarter Segment Review: Q4 '08 Licensing Segment net sales were better than expected due to stronger than anticipated revenue from international licensing and Marvel's Spider-Man feature film merchandising joint venture, Spider-Man L.P. Nonetheless, as expected, Q4 '08 results were below the year ago period in which the May 2007 release of Spider-Man 3 provided greater benefit. Reflecting the revenue decline, Licensing Segment operating income declined to $36.9 million in Q4 2008 from $47.5 million in Q4 2007. Licensing Segment operating margin for Q4 2008 and Q4 2007 was 67% and 62%, respectively. Q4 2007 operating margin was reduced by a charge of $11.5 million associated with talent participations claimed due by Sony regarding the JV. In Q2 2008, the $11.5 million claim was reduced by $8.3 million after Sony revised the amounts claimed. Marvel's Publishing Segment net sales increased 9%, or $2.8 million, to $33.1 million in Q4 2008 from $30.3 million in Q4 2007, principally reflecting a larger number of high profile titles being released in Q4 2008, as well as one extra week of sales in Q4 2008. Marvel's major publishing events in 2008 took place in the final three quarters of the year versus major publishing events in 2007 which took place in the first three quarters of the year. Q4 2008 operating income increased 6% to $13.0 million, an operating margin of 39%, compared to 41% in Q4 2007. The decrease in operating margin reflects investments being made in Marvel's digital media initiatives. Marvel's Film Production Segment recorded sales of $135.5 million in Q4 2008, primarily reflecting revenues related to the Iron Man DVD which was released September 30, 2008. Q4 2008 net sales also include Marvel producer fees for Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. Against these revenues, Marvel amortized capitalized film production expenses of $68.9 million (based on Marvel's estimate of each film's expected ultimate performance), contributing $62.1 million to operating income. In Q4 '07 there was no film production revenue, and there was an operating loss in the segment of $3.1 million, primarily reflecting non-capitalized
[scifinoir2] How Scientifically Accurate Is Watchmen?
How Scientifically Accurate Is Watchmen? A science consultant to the film explains some of its mysteries By Katherine Harmon The anticipated film http://watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com/ Watchmen, based on the 1980s DC Comics 12-part comic book series (later adapted as a graphic novel), hits theaters tomorrow. Die-hard fans of the original publication may fret over its faithfulness to the series, but studio execs also worried about their movie's faithfulness to http://www.sciam.com/report.cfm?id=science-movies science. To set their minds at ease, they placed a call to Jim Kakalios http://www.physics.umn.edu/people/kakalios.html , a physics professor at the University of Minnesota. Kakalios, 50, began advising the film's makers in the summer of 2007 on everything from the quantum mechanics of Dr. Manhattan (one of the superheroes of the story) down to the details in the laboratories. They wanted to know what was around the corner at the end of the long corridor, even if the audience wasn't going to see it, he says. So why is Dr. Manhattan blue? He might just be leaking http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-are-elements-broken-d electrons, Kakalios explains. In a previous accident, the character had destroyed his intrinsic field (a made-up concept), which presumably stripped him of the fundamental http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-a-fictitious-force forceselectromagnetic, strong force, weak forceother than gravity, that hold material together. Some avid readers of the book wrote to Kakalios expressing concern after seeing a trailer that included an intrinsic field generator, which, they felt, was clearly meant to be an intrinsic field remover. Not to worry, Kakalios says: in the same way that sound waves can be canceled by running other waves out of synch with them, one could destroy intrinsic fields by canceling http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-do-it-yourself-quantum-eraser them out with others. (Kakalios cautioned the filmmakers, however, that generating those fields would take a ton of energy, so it would be wise to include a particle accelerator of some sort in the lab.) Dr. Manhattan's life-altering accident, like so many others in comic book history, has given him special quantum powers, such as (drum roll) teleportation http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-teleporting-is-nothing-like-star-tr ek ! Teleportation isn't real, Kakalios concedes. But quantum mechanical tunneling is. In quantum http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=escape-from-the-nucleus-i tunneling, which scientists have known about for some 80 years, a particle passes through a barrier that classical mechanical physics says it shouldn't be able to. By that point, he says, you're dealing with real science that is just as fantastic as anything in the comic book. Kakalios was also happy to correct something that Hollywood always gets wrong: the ever-prominent A Beautiful Mindstyle blackboard. In the movies, he says, these chalkboards are always filled with the most complex, but unrelated equationsSchrödinger's right next to Heisenberg'sprobably chosen by an art director. But in real life, he says, it's only going to be one (not-so-famous) problem, along with notes to remind oneself to pick up the kids from, say, swim Lessons (or in Schrödinger's case, to let his cat out of that box). Not many physics professors get a phone call from the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., asking them to help out on a new Warner Bros. Entertainment superhero movie. But then again, not many of them are Jim Kakalios. By day, he studies nanotechnology http://www.sciam.com/topic.cfm?id=nanotechnology , but explaining science is his passionand he's found that superheroes are just the right tool. (He's even written a book called http://www.physicsofsuperheroes.com/ The Physics of Superheroes and teaches a course on the subject.) I can use this in some kind of sneaky ninja fashion to teach real science, he says. Kakalios notes that scientific incongruities in movies don't actually bother him that much: I don't go to these movies with a pad of paper and a calculator. But he delights in finding snippets of accuracy in films, which to him, is like finding an inside joke. In Iron Man, for instance, he noticed that star Robert Downey, Jr.'s character, Tony Stark, constructed the superhuman http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=real-life-iron-man-exoskeleton Iron Man suit using the same type of soldering iron Kakalios has in his laband correctly! But he's not too concerned about the central aspects of Watchmen that can't fully be reconciled with real science, such as Dr. Manhattan's ability to be in two places simultaneously. In superhero http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=dark-knight-shift-why-bat movies, after all, he says, You're asking the audience to buy something that's intrinsically ridiculous. Still, he thinks it's a good chance to tap into a new market of minds. The audience for this material , [they]
