Monday, December 31, 2007

Top Science Fiction Places in Second Life in 2007

[edit: I have no idea why all of this blank space is here.]













SciFi Ranter Girl's Top Science Fiction Places in Second Life in 2007

I've scoured Second Life looking for the best sci- fi places. Here is the list in no particular order.

The links below are SLURLs they take you to your destination in- world. You have to set up a Second Life account before you can go explore. It's relatively painless and free.

Click the image to see a larger version of it. Use your back button to get back to this page.

Stargate:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Thams/133/184/110
Store/ Night Club


I Am Legend:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/IAL%20Orientation%20Island/116/53/33
Orientation/ Roleplay/ Official Promo

That's me in a free Infected Dog avatar. They have others from the movie as well.


International Spaceflight Museum
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Spaceport%20Alpha/37/94/23
Educational/ Live Video Feed of Shuttle Launches/ Speaker Events

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A Very Supernatural Christmas

A Very Supernatural Christmas

This episode opens up one year ago in my favorite town, Seattle, Washington. A grandpa visits his grandson on Christmas. He dresses up and plays Santa. He is startled by noises on the roof and soot coming down the chimney. Grandpa Santa is pulled up the chimney screaming and his bloody foot, still in his boot is thrown back down the chimney.

Dean questions a lady that has this happened to this year on Christmas. Sam thinks there an evil Santa on the loose; an "anti-Claus" if you will. He says there is evil Santa folklore to back up his theory; Bellsnickle, Krampus and Black Peter. This is supposed to be Santa's brother. He shows up around Christmas but instead of bringing presents, he punishes the wicked. Dean does some thinking and notes that both victims visited the same Santa's Village prior to their deaths.

We get a Sam and Dean Christmas flashback in 1991. A young Sam asks his brother why his dad hasn't shown up. He's a bit sad and starts asking Dean all sorts of questions. One of which is about his mother. Dean freaks out and tells Sam to never talk about their mother. The moment fades. Back in the present, Sam tells Dean that he doesn't want to celebrate Christmas because he doesn't have fond memories of it.

According to the lore, the anti-Clause will walk with a limp and smell like sweets. The creepy Santa that they see at Santa's Village has a slight limp and smells like ripple. They follow him and stake out his home. They hear some screaming coming from Santa's mobile home. They burst in and he is watching Christmas porn and smoking a bong. Instead of waving guns, they start to sing him Christmas carols. What a riot!!!

While they are farting off, another house is attacked by the anti-Claus. A kid sees the bloody mess of a monster and hears it attack his mother. To make matters worse, anti-Claus drags the kids father down the stairs in his Christmas toy bag and punches the dad in the bag in front of the kid. After all of that, anti-Claus eats a cookie and buggers off. That kid is going to be in therapy for the rest of his life.

Sam notices that the families all have the same wreath in common. The wreaths have meadow sweet in them. It is a pagan herb used for human sacrifice for the god of the winter solstice. (I've never heard of this god and I couldn't find him on Google but it sounds like "holding a car".) The boys ask around and find out that Mrs. Carrigan gave the shop keep the wreaths for free.

We get another flashback of young Sam and Dean. We see the moment when Dean tells Sam that monsters are real and the truth about their mom. Sam is concerned about their safety and goes to sleep in tears. Later, young Sam wakes up and sees a Christmas tree and presents. Dean tells him that their Dad finally showed. Dean actually stole the presents from under someone else's tree. Sexy Daddy Winchester never showed up.

The guys visit wreath lady and she's Martha Stewart... or like a creepy stepford wife. She says she used meadowsweet in the wreathes because "she never smelled anything finer".
Later that night, the boys do research and find out that wreath lady and her husband were in Seattle at the time of the other kidnappings/ killings. They also find out that evergreen stakes will kill the anti-Claus. The boys break into the creepy couples home at night and find a basement that filled with bloody body parts. Yuck! They were keeping the monster down there. The creepy couple attack Sam and Dean. They have super strength because they are really the evil anti-Claus demon god things. While they are holding the boys hostage, they are really chipper and polite to Sam and Dean. Hell, they are the most likeable human sacrificers that I've ever seen! The two gods complain that they had to go underground and assimilate into modern culture because Jesus came around. They say they survive on a modest amount of human sacrifice. They pull a fingernail from Sam's hand and just as they were about to pull a tooth from Dean's head, a neighbor came by with fruitcake. When the couple returns, Sam and Dean have escaped. They lock the crazy couple in the kitchen and pull their Christmas tree apart to make new stakes. The couple attacks again but gets stabbed with the make- shift evergreen stakes.

Sam changes his mind and decorates their hotel room for Christmas. The boys exchange gifts and enjoy Christmas for what could be the last time.

Supernatural: Fresh Blood

Supernatural: Fresh Blood

Gordon sneaks up on Bela and questions her about Sam and Dean. He tells her that he needs to find Sam because Sam is the anti-Christ. She gives him their location for the bag of hoodoo on Gordon's hip.

Sam and Dean are hunting a girl demon that loves fresh blood. It happens to be Playboy centerfold and ex-Buffy-ite, Harmony. Her name is Lucy and she says she "took something" and she can't come down from it. A guy is going around doping people with vampire blood; a virus. Oh lord, she's a vampire; typecast much? She's decapitated by Sam before she can do anymore damage.

Gordon and his Jesus- crazed friend is posing as FBI agents. They are pumping the latest victim for information. Gosh you dress up in a suit; go to Kinko's to make a fake badge and anyone can be an FBI agent these days. Dean and Sam hit the club that is the hunting ground of the vampire virus dealer. They kick the dealer's arse but run into Gordon and a face full of gun. Dean realizes that Bela is behind it and threatens to kill her. Vampire dealer, Dixon punches Gordon and takes him back to his lair. Dixon has two vampire girls bound and shackled. He intends to feed Gordon to them. He takes pride in capturing the greatest vampire hunter that ever lived. (bah) He wants to punish Gordon for killing his real daughter. Dixon calls the girls his new daughters. Gordon calls them Fang Whores. Dixon decides to make Gordon a vampire. Sweet irony.

Gordon gets free but starts to feel the side effects of his new life. His hearing and sight is all heightened. He can even hear heart beats from afar. His first kill is a guy changing his tire.

Sam and Dean walk in on Vamp Daddy. His daughters were slaughtered by Gordon. When I say slaughtered, I mean he ripped their heads off with his bare hands. Gordon goes back to Sidekick Jesus and tells him what happens. He begs Sidekick Jesus to let him kill Sam. Sidekick Jesus makes the mistake of trying to kill Gordon and gets a hand through his chest for his trouble.

Sam yells at Dean because he wants Dean to stop the tough guy routine. Sam tells Dean that he knows he's terrified of dying in a year. Dean drops it and prepare for the coming of Gordon. Gordon gives them a call to let them know that he has a girl hostage. It's a trap for Sam. Gordon blabs on and on and toys with Sam. There's a fight; walls are fallen through and faces are punched. Sam gets hardcore and wraps barbed wire around Gordon's neck until Gordon's head pops off. That, my friends, masterpiece quality TV.

Supernatural: Red Sky at Morning

Supernatural: Red Sky at Morning

A jogger girl sees a pirate ghost ship on the horizon. It disappears before she can get a good look. Someone follows her home and kills her. Every 37 there is a ghost ship sighting and then a rash of dry land drownings. Seeing a ghost ship is a death omen.

The boys car is stolen in the middle of an investigation. Supernatural artifact thief Bella Talbot returns. She had it towed for fun. Later in the story Bela IDed the ship. It's actually a merchant sailing ship from 1859 (no pirates :( ). A 37 year old sailor was accused of treason and hanged. They also cut off his right hand to make a hand of glory. Bela wants to find and destroy this hand because that will stop the killings. She wants to do so because she has been hired by the jogger girl's grandma.

To steal the hand, Dean has to wear tux to a museum shindig as Bela's date. Upon sight of him she says, "You know when this is over, we should really have angry sex." Dean is at a loss for words at first and replies, "Don't objectify me." Good stuff. Dean is so Captain Kirk.
Dean's date is the desperate old cougar who is the grandma of the jogger chick that is killed early on. She's all over him. It's funny in a sad way. He should take one for the team and give the old hag a toss in the sack.

Bela steals the hand and sells it for money. As she is counting her fat stack, she sees the ghost ship. She runs to Sam and Dean for help. The ghost is going after people who have spilled their own family's blood; whether it was intentional or not. They cast a spell to get Bela off of the ghosts target. They conjured the ghosts brother; the person that sentenced him to death. The ghosts kill each other and Bela is saved. Instead of thanking them, she pays them 10K.

She never reveals which relative she killed or why.

Supernatural: Bedtime Stories

Supernatural: Bedtime Stories

Trances I get but fairytale trances? That's bizarre even for us. -Dean

People are being murdered in a way that reminds the boys of childhood fairy tales. The first is three little pigs; two of three brothers that are housing contractors are arguing over materials and are slaughtered by a big wolf. The second is a couple gets lost hiking in the woods and is greeted by a harmless old lady. She drugs the apple pie and kills the husband; Hansel and Gretel. They even had a Cinderella. There is a little ghost girl at the scene of every murder.

Turns out, the doctor who is tending all of the patients that survive the attacks has a daughter. His daughter has been in a coma since she was eight years old. She's been psychically sending out people to murder in a fairy tale style. She is the little ghost girl at every crime scene. Her mother poisoned her and she's trying to let people know about the crime through these killings.

Sam sneaks off and summons the crossroads demon that has the one- year contract for Dean's soul. He tries to make a bargain to release Dean from the contract. Sam threatens her with the Demon Killing Colt. Prancing about in her FABULOUS dress, she tells Sam that she has a boss and that HE holds the contract, not her. She goes on to tell Dean that even if he kills her, the contract still stands and there is no way out of it. Sam considers this then kills her for good measure.

Supernatural: Sin City

Supernatural: Sin City

When a couple of men go crazy and kill themselves, Dean and Sam go to investigate. Turns out General Hammond is running a town with vices like whiskey and whores. He's not alone, a priest demon and a sexy barkeep demon are pulling the strings. Dean gets trapped in a basement with the the sexy barkeep. They have a heart to heart and she explains some of what happened when the demons were released from hell. We find out that Yellow Eyes was Azazael. In the event of Azazael's death, Sam was supposed to be the leader of the demons! Bobby fixes the demon killing gun with the help of the blonde demon who keeps saving Sam's arse. Sam bursts in to save Dean from both the priest and the sexy barkeep. He shot first and never asked questions. Dean shares his concerns with Bobby about Sam being fully human now that he's been brought back from the dead. Sam and the blonde arse saver discuss Deans future and what Sam needs to do to save him.

Supernatural: Lucky/Unlucky Rabbits Foot Episode

Bad Day at Black Rock

I LOVE Supernatual. Sam and Dean got a hold to a lucky rabbit's foot. Sam touched it and had unbelievably campy good luck. He, of course, lost the rabbit's foot and his lucky went to the crapper. What the boys didn't know is that once you loose the rabbit's foot, it leads to death. This episode gave us the usual Sam and Dean antics. Sam lost his shoe, gets punched in the nose and shot in the shoulder. Dean gets the power moves like throwing a writing pen so precisely that it plugs the hole of a gun that's pointed at him. He also gets the great line of "I'm Batman".

Throughout the whole thing, crazy but cute chocolate hunter guy [edit: Gordon Walker] that Sam and Dean were responsible for putting in jail is plotting Sam's death. He is in league with a Jesus- freak hunter guy and sidekick. No offense... watch the episode to see what I mean. This guy had bumper stickers like: (source)
"How would Jesus drive?"
"Don't make me come down there. -GOD" and
"Bethlehem or bust"

In the end, the boys did a ritual that broke the spell. All is NOT right as rain though. They still have Gordon after them, there are hundreds of demons roaming about Earth, Dean has less than a year to live and I'm still waiting on another appearance of their incredibly sexy father.

I'm catching up on TV shows, YAY!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Happy Life Day


Oh, oh... We are excited, aren't we?
Well,just relax. Just relax. Yes, a little more.
Now, we can have a good time, can't we?
I'll tell you a secret, I find you
adorable.

I don't need to ask how you find me.
You see, I am your fantasy. I am your
experience. So experience me. I am your
pleasure. Enjoy me. This is our moment
together in time that we might turn this
moment into an eternity.


That's a little too creepy for a children's holiday special but it's "adorable".

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Peter Jackson Is At It Again

I'm so tired of this on again, off again madness with Peter Jackson and The Hobbit movie. According to SciFi Wire, Peter Jackson has kissed and made up with New Line. I'm sure he'll quit or they'll fire him two more times before it's all said and done. Get it together guys. I already have LOTR fatigue. Don't bore me with these public diva fights.

In other Hobbit news, it looks like the movie will be a two- parter.

New Line added that it and Jackson have settled all litigation over Jackson's profit participation in the $3 billion-grossing Rings trilogy, without giving details. The settlement apparently brings to an end the acrimonious split between Jackson and New Line.

Jackson and Fran Walsh will executive-produce the films, to be shot simultaneously, and New Line will manage their production.

Preproduction will begin soon, and principal photography is tentatively set for 2009. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the sequel in 2011.

I Called It: 4400 Cancelled... Dead Zone Too :(

I knew something wasn't right with The 4400 finale this season. Everything was wrapped up too nicely. I expressed that in this post back in September; Is The 4400 Being Cancelled?
I was so blown away by the season finale of 4400. There was so much closure in this episode that it felt like the end of The 4400.
Unfortunately, TV Guide reports that my suspicions were true; USA Expresses "Deep Sadness" Over Dual Cancellations. This is awful. Honestly, I stopped watching The Dead Zone. It was a time issue.

I guess the age of the 7 year science fiction TV show is over. They're all dropping like flies. Well, there were some good times with both of these shows. I thank everyone involved for giving us two wonderful shows. You did a great job guys!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Sad Day for Startrek.com

There have been rumors about the demise of startrek.com since 2005. This time it's the staff that is being eliminated and not the site itself. Apparently, there were 6 staffers maintaining the site. I'm surprised that they had a job for this long especially since there are no new Trek shows on. I hope this isn't harsh but right now startrek.com is a glorified encyclopedia. There is the occasional news about an actor doing this or that but there isn't really any new developments.

...except a MOVIE!! It seems odd that they would let the guys go with the new movie coming out. They could have least let the guys stay on until after that.

http://www.startrek.com/

Monday, December 17, 2007

NBC's Hulu

I got my Hulu Private Beta Invitation in my inbox today. Some say Hulu is the reason why NBC/Universal pulled out of iTunes. I say they should have waited until the service was fully functional before depriving us of online access to shows.

Anyhoo... Hulu is a streaming video- on- demand service. As far as I can tell, you can't download these shows or put them on your iPod which is a huge bummer. Another good news/bad news is that the service is free but you have to watch commercials. I guess if it's free, then it's not really all bad. Personally, I'd rather pay upfront and skip the commercials but I'm crazy or something. (*whines to NBC* Please kiss and make up w/ iTunes!!!) One feature I do like is the video embed feature. I can't believe that NBC is giving us permission to use video clips on blogs, websites or wherever. Of course, you'll have to watch an ad. Is the ad worth the length of the clip? Who knows. Also, the video editor is a bit cumbersome and it takes effort to get an exact clip. They also have user comments, reviews and you get your own profile.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

The Golden Compass

Truth be told, I didn't know what the hell The Golden Compass was. I knew that there were books. I knew that Christians were pissed about it for some reason.

I totally didn't expect this type of movie- going experience. I'm glad I walked in not knowing anything about the movie. What I got was a brand new story, intriguing plot, interesting characters and BEAUTY. This movie was extremely beautiful. I haven't really been overwhelmingly impressed with movie aesthetics since Star Wars Episode I & II. (Shut up! I don't want to hear it!) I'm not sure if the design was steam-punk but it looked like it and I loved all of it. Everyone knows how crazy I am about costuming. The wardrobe in this movie was phenomenal. Nicole Kidman stole every scene. For some reason or another, she annoyed me for a few years. She's been stepping up her game for the past few years. (...cause if she didn't Angelina Jolie would have been equally perfect in this movie.) Daniel Craig was nothing more than eye candy. I think he said about two words and got beat up. He might have gotten naked... or I could have been undressing him with my eyes. Dunno... I forget.

The story was equally fascinating. I was told that The Magisterium is actually called The Church in the books. The story is about a parallel universe where people are accompanied by their power animal or "dæmon." Wikipedia says that the soul actually resides outside of the body and takes the form of an animal. It's a lot of hippie, philosophical stuff but I really liked it. The soul/dust/animal thing is a thought-provoking concept and was well thought out. I can tell that great thought was put into this story. The movie didn't feel overly rushed or dumbed down. I'm glad that "Magisterium" was used instead of "Church". I think the author's/story's dislike for the Church would have taken away from how beautiful the story and the movie is.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have witnessed great movie direction. *applauds!*

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Clash of the Titans is a GO!!!

I think I've been hearing rumors about a new Clash of the Titans movie for about a year. I stopped paying attention to the grumblings after awhile. SciFi Wire reports that not only will it be starting production next year but Steve Norrington is directing it.

What? I liked League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

T-Mobile is Killing My Dreams of Using Twitter on a New BlackBerry Curve

For the past month of so, I've been mulling over buying a new smart phone. I'm fine with the $300 price tag for the device. What I'm not ok with is the service plans available with the device. Using AT&T's BlackBerry Curve is OUT because their phone doesn't have Wi-Fi. If it had GPS AND Wi-Fi AT&T's Curve would be IN. I decided on T-Mobile because they have the option of a one-year contract and an unlimited texting plan. This week, I'd pretty much decided to bite the bullet and sign a contract with T-Mobile. I was actually going out to do that today.

This morning on Twitter, I start seeing all of these tweets about T-Mobile blocking Twitter. This is a huge deal breaker. I was already iffy on going with a BlackBerry because I couldn't really use Skype with it. The whole point of me getting a smart phone is so that I could participate on Twitter at work without using the work computer. I also wanted mobile web browsing and a camera phone on the go. If I can't use Twitter or Skype on the service/phone, then the whole thing is useless. Now I have to find and decide on ANOTHER phone. *sighs*

Here are some links:
Alternageek: T-Mobile blocks Twitter?
CNET: Twitter doubly dead for some T-Mobile users
Techcrunch: T-Mobile Turns Off Twitter?
T-Mobile Shuts Down Twitter Service for Good?
T Mobile Blocking SMS Codes for Twitter (and potentially other third parties)
Letter to T-Mobile CEO: Killing twitter will be a PR nightmare


I am going to wait for an official response before I make my final decision.

[updated 4:56 p.m. CST]
Twitter's Blog:
T-Mobile + Twitter-- Looks like Twitter is saying this is a glitch. I hope it's a glitch and the people that talked to T-Mobile's tech support just got bad support people who didn't know how to handle the call. I still want an official response from T-Mobile.


[updated 12/19/07] Turned out to be a technical issue. I was really hoping for this news. Also, I felt that the customer service email was served up by an employee who didn't really know what they were talking about. I've worked with reps like that who don't really care and play hard ball. Too bad that email got circulated. It's also too bad because I had the BlackBerry curve in my hands this weekend. I put it back because I wasn't sure about the whole blocking issue.
T-Mobile Mix-Up Was Technical

Friday, December 14, 2007

Repost: Triangle, Cowbells and Bludgeoning Small Puppies

I just encountered a bell ringing Salvation Army "soldier". It made me think of this post from a couple of Christmasii back. Original post here.
Non-recapped, ADHD review of Triangle:

I wasn't wowed but I was entertained and amused with the first installment of SciFi's- The Triangle. I was entertained by the ship at the beginning that caught fire, broke in half and sank. I was amused because after that explosive scene, we get a calm sea scene. It made me feel like the ocean is the Earth's toilet bowl, the Bermuda Triangle is it's handle and all of the disappearances over the years were flushes.

Speaking of disappearing and the Bermuda Triangle, Michael and Evo over at Slice of SciFi are having an iPod giveaway. You have to name a person or persons that you want thrown into the Bermuda Triangle. Here's my entry:
You know who I want thrown in the Bermuda Triangle? I want those annoying, creepy bell-ringers that stand in front of the stores while I'm trying to shop during the "holidays" thrown into the Bermuda Triangle....along with their cowbells. Spreading Christmas cheer? Try JINGLE BELLS instead of poorly tuned cowbells. Now I have to move my inhaler prescription to a pharmacy that has a bell free entrance. For a good cause my ass! What about my nerves? I have sensitive hearing. In the latest Wingin' It (#37) podcast some guy left a voicemail saying that Evo's voice made him want to bludgeon small puppies with a bag small puppies. No my good sir, in comparison to these beggar-faux-holiday-cheer-cowbell-ringing guys Evo's voice sounds like an angelic harp. Try having to go to a pharmacy with a migraine with a Santa's Helper Bum laying on a cowbell like he was shredding a guitar... back in the 80's. THAT my dear friend, will make you want to bludgeon creepy bell-ringer guy with a sack full of puppies, shove that bell up his ass and send him with the puppy pulp into the Bermuda Triangle.

Happy Holidays!
:)

Jeez... I was pretty cranky.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Seti@Home Needs Donations

Donate to SETI@home at: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/sah_donate.php

Our favorite project needs cash. I gave. You can too!

SETI@home is a nonprofit educational and research organization that relies significantly on donations to continue operations. We are in the middle of our annual funding drive, as we are continuing to work on several exciting projects and we need your help. Any level of support is greatly appreciated.

In addition to the funds raised this past year (thank you!), we hope to raise $476,000 so we can get these projects finished and carry on our daily operations through the coming year. Here is how much we raised during the past 12 months.

You can check on our fundraising progress by visiting our main site at
http://setiathome.berkeley.edu.


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Upcoming Airdates as of 12/12/2007

Even thought there is a writer's strike, the guys over at sftv.org still managed to find airdates for some of our favorite shows. It's a grim looking list but still useful.
Tin Man (SciFi) Dec 2-4 (Miniseries Debut)
Life on Mars (BBC America) Dec 11 (Season Two)
Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned (BBC1) Dec 25 (Christmas Special)
Guinea Pig (SciFi) Jan 8 (Series Debut)
Ghost Hunters International (SciFi) Jan 9 (Series Debut)
Monk (USA) Jan 11 (Winter return Season 2)
Psych (USA) Jan 11 (Winter return Season 6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX) Jan 13 (Series Debut)
Kyle XY (ABC Family) Jan 14 (Winter return Season 2)
Torchwood (BBC 2) Mid-Jan (Season Two)
Torchwood (BBC America) Jan 26 (Season Two US Debut)
New Amsterdam (FOX) Feb 22 (Series Debut)
Medium (NBC) ??? (Midseason - Season Four)
Lost (ABC) Feb? (Season Four)
Afterlife (BBC America) Mar? (Season Two)
Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) Mar (Season Four)
24 (FOX) TBD (Season Seven - On Hold)

It's Official: Journeyman is Done

Time's about up for "Journeyman"
NBC had until Tuesday to give a full-season pickup to the time-travel drama starring Kevin McKidd. The network let that option lapse, practically canceling the series, which posted its lowest adults 18-49 rating (1.7 rating/8 share) on Monday without a "Heroes" lead-in. The network already tried out fellow rookie "Life" in "Journeyman"'s Monday 10 p.m. slot last week.
Damn.

I put a lot of hours into watching this show. It was good stuff. It will be missed. I hope Kevin McKidd gets another gig.

There are still two new episodes left in the season.

I also saw a story where NBC had to refund money to advertisers for poor performance. This article states that it is the first time this has happened in history. I'm sure someone is going to blame piracy but the ratings is what got them. That and I'm extremely unhappy about NBC removing their shows from iTunes.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Webkinz: Another Virtual World Gateway for Kids

Webkinz are regular stuffed animals. The gimmick is that you can adopt a virtual version of your pet and play with it in a virtual environment. Apparently, this toy is the latest toy craze. I just heard about them two weeks ago but I hear the demand for them rivals the Cabbage Patch Fiasco of 1982. I'm not sure this is true. I've been in toys stores all this weekend and I didn't hear anyone talking about them. In fact, I couldn't find any; not even an empty place where they used to be.

Either way, I like them because it introduces children to virtual worlds. The bad thing is that communicating as animals in a virtual world has a bit of a "furry" undertone to it. I guess kids won't think of that unless adults point it out.

I'm thinking about getting one for my niece but I want more evidence that this toy is interesting to kids.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Journeyman In Trouble

The SciFi Wire reports that no new episodes of Journeyman have been ordered. This usually means cancellation. With the writer's strike, nothing is certain.

I've really enjoyed the season. It is witty and clever. It's smarter than a lot of shows and everyone knows that is the kiss of death. Kevin McKidd is a joy to watch every week. His supporting cast isn't anything to sneeze at either.

Kevin Falls, the creator of the show, says that the shows numbers are a factor in the show not being re-ordered. Only time will tell.

Best Spam of 2007

I was having a rough day at work and this piece of spam made me howl.
Subject: FW: Change your instrument size.


Your girl does not want to jazz it with you because of your instrument size.

Don't worry you can solve this trouble now.

All you have to do is just make use of our male instrument enlargement.

You will forget about trouble and your girl will be glad
WHY???!?!

Who comes up with this stuff? Your girl does not want to "jazz it" with you? That's just brilliant. I'm gonna giggle about this one for a few days.

Don't you just love the picture of the "limp" flute. What a great find!

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Darth Vader Wii for $15K

Engadget reported that Technabob reported that some guy is selling a Darth Vader Wii on eBay for $15000. :)

Dude claims:
Originally designed and built to promote the release of LucasArts "Unleash the Force" game, on the Wii in Spring 2008. Only 4 of these were produced. I have 2, and will be selling this one to one lucky buyer before Christmas.
... it even includes"2 Black Nunchuk".

Note that the guy doesn't show an actual picture of the unit. He says it was used in a The Force Unleashed promo deal. I'm surprised the guy didn't say the thing had actual George Lucas epithelium on it. The upcoming Force Unleashed game is girlie squeal-able but this guy is crazy. If someone actually bids on this, I will personally hunt them down and smack them.

Saturday, December 08, 2007

Writers Are Still Holding Out

Hollywood on strike: Impasse in 5th week

Looks like there is no end in sight to the writer's strike. It's a stand off party. Quite frankly, I'm bored with it. I want them to get paid what they are owed and move on. How long can this go on? Is this the longest writer's strike in TV history? I'm going to have to look that up.

Friday, December 07, 2007

Xzibit the Rapper and Ride Pimper in X-Files 2?

What does this mean exactly?

I love Xhibit as a rapper and thought that his song Paparazzi had great lyrical form. (Damn I'm old. That was back in 1996!) I've even seen Pimp My Ride twice... and was amused by it. But dammit! I love you bro but I don't want you in my X-Files!!! What? 'Cause his name begins with an X he needs to be in the movie? Like... is he going to speak? I don't get it.

This frustrating news brought to you by SciFi Wire.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Lord Help Us: Will Smith is Rapping Again

When Will Smith gave up put rap to the side for sci-movies, I was glad. I think his early work is some of the most prolific displays of lyricism known to mankind. (Check out Brand New Funk. Dude even did a song about Freddy Kruger) I just wasn't into his later stuff. Now that he is coming out with this new movie, Hancock, that is about a "down and out" superhero, he wants to pick up the mic again? I'm scared. He's almost 40 for crying out loud.

...this just in. I just saw photos that someone claims is from the set of the movie Hancock. I'm now more scared than ever. I'm sure that I'm over reacting because this looks like comedy and Will Smith *is* funny. Time will tell.

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

James Marsters on Torchwood! Wooo!!!

James Marsters is another guy that I'd watch read his mail. And now!!! He's going to be on the same screen with the gay but delicious Captain Jack Harkness. RAWR!!!! This episode will be worth waiting for.
Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast member James Marsters will guest-star on Torchwood, the Doctor Who spinoff series, when it returns to BBC America for a second season in January, the network announced.

Other guest stars include Alan Dale (Ugly Betty) and Doctor Who co-star Freema Agyeman, who will reprise the role of Martha Jones.

The second season of Torchwood debuts on BBC America on Jan. 26, 2008, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, not long after it premieres in the United Kingdom.
I can't wait for the upcoming season of Torchwood! I've been going through Doctor Who withdrawal. (ha ha) I heard that the Sara Jane show is on but I haven't heard any feedback on it.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

More Riddick? Ok!

SciFi Wire reports that director Twohy is considering making another Riddick movie. I liked both of the movies so I'm open to the idea. Any chance to see Vin Diesel is a good excuse to make a movie. They can have the guy reading mail and I'd see it. The real question is; What else can they do with the franchise? I wouldn't say that the second movie's plot was thin, I liked it, but I don't know where else they could go.

Monday, December 03, 2007

What My Mom Thought of Tin Man

Because of my hellish schedule, I haven't watched Tin Man yet. I've been looking forward to it and it is in the process of airing for the next 2 days. My mother is a bit of a Wizard of Oz fanatic. I promised to let her know when Tin Man was airing. She was interested to see a modern twist on the story. She sent me an email giving me her first impressions.
I didn't like Tin Man - too far out there for me and kind of boring. I surfed it back and forth with other stuff on TV. Probably a generation thing - Ha!
First, I get it honest, eh? :D Second, if SciFi Ranter Mom felt this way, I wonder what others will think? Thoughts anyone?

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Oh No! Angels and Demons Affected by Strike

I wasn't overly impressed by The DaVinci Code movie but I'm disappointed to hear that The Angels and Demons movie will be delayed by the strike. It was my favorite of the two books. (Yes! I read those books and I thought they were better than the movie.) Delays like this make me wonder if we are going to have a huge, sci-fi blockbuster this summer. I guess we have Star Trek... I guess we won't feel the pain of this strike for movies until 2009?

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Has Anyone Seen Beowulf?

I'm looking forward to seeing it. I really like the idea of actor's avatars taking the place of real actors. This way, we can see our favorite actors fresh and thin for years. The actors won't ever have to be bothered by balding, weight gain, wrinkles, etc. They can just pop their avatar on screen and be done with it. I'm sure this approach would have kept the actors of Star Trek TOS and TNG in movies longer. I'd love it.
... I actually don't mind seeing them older either.