...and the Movie of the Summer is Transformers!

I can't say enough good things about this movie. It was exactly what I was looking for. It exceeded my expectations.

It was cute enough for the kids, fun enough for the average joe and just enough of the right stuff for the die hards.

*sigh* Yes... everyone thinks Bumblebee being a Camaro was a mistake. What can you do? At least he was yellow and at least he didn't die... like poor Jazz. :(

The special effects were PHENOMENAL!!! I sorta felt that some of the shots were a bit too tight and I couldn't really see what was going on when they did close ups of the transformations. That could have been the theatre that I was at though.
The robots movements were so fluid and human- like. This was one of my favorite things about the movie. The robots had just the right amount of personality. It was a perfect blend of human and machine; they were even funny. I must say that these robots were very sexy. I had a total fan girl panting session. I'm in love with Optimus Prime. *purge bad thoughts, purge bad thoughts, purge bad thoughts*

The product placement was a bit much. GMC over did it. It was so over done it was disgusting. It wasn't even cute like when the Mountain Dew machine turned into a robot.

I've never know enough about the Transformers story and their origin to nitpick what was in the movie. It was enough set up for me.

Now about the humans:
Everyone did a great job.

The film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, who has the map to the Allspark, an object at the center of the war between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

I'm impressed with Shia. When I heard that he was going to be in the upcoming Indian Jones movie, I nodded my head. I can totally see this. He's funny, he had weird, cuteness about him. John Turturro was also another favorite. Gosh that man is funny. He had a weasel-ish thing about him that was delightful. Some of the human scenes went on for too long; the car malfunction thing, the parents house thing. I wanted more robot action but it won't stop me from buying the DVD or anything.

Hugo Weaving was the voice of Megatron. Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime in the 1980s cartoon, reprised the role for the film.

I didn't know this before the movie but these two guys did a damned fine job.

I also heard that there are more films in the works. I say great but I want more about the homeworld and the saga of the Transformers themselves. I liked the human interaction but I want to know more about our heroes.

On a side note. The ending scene with Sam and Mikaela making out on Bumble Bee was a bit weird. Let's not have anymore of that. ;)

Another Favorite: Eureka

I have such a TV show crush on Eureka. I can't say anything bad about the new season either. It is back with as much wit as it had last year. I love the writing and the characters. Because the show has rely technobabble, I'm glad to see that it remains incredibly silly. Should be called Silly Scientist Tricks... Gone Wild. :) I think that's the appeal for me. You get the classic sci-fi themes in a fresh and witty way. The cast being collective eye candy dish doesn't hurt either.

I want to live in Eureka.

So far this season, Henry Deacon and Jack Carter are the only ones who remember the alternate timeline from last season. Jack isn't handling it well because he's still expecting Allison to be like she was before so that they can have the relationship that they had in the last timeline. It's not happening and she's actually starting to patch up her relationship with the beautifully handsome Nathan Stark. [added (thanks Michael)] That was until Henry made a "Forget" device and used it on Jack but not himself. Now Henry wants to work for Global Dynamics so he can figure out what happened to his lost love.

Some of the episodes themes this season are human combustion, a deadly human force field and an insane weather man. The character chemistry is like clockwork and just an amazing treat to watch. These guys bounce off of each other so naturally. In one scene, Henry was translating technobabble for Jack and it was so perfectly timed. This show is filled with that. They aren't shy with the special effects and tech. Every episode has something that will give you a geekgasm.

I'm looking forward to there rest of the season because I want to see what is up with the psychiatrist lady and this business with the artifact.

OT: Dexter Returns

Yes... I know... Dexter isn't science fiction per se but it's one of my favorite shows so grin and bear it. :)

I'll say it again. I LOVE theatrical/tv serial killers. They are always so much fun. They always have great puzzles and twisted motivations.
... and Dexter? A serial killer who fights crime. What's not to love?

from Wikipedia:
Dexter is a Showtime original television series starring Michael C. Hall as serial killer Dexter Morgan, who works as a forensics analyst specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis for the Miami-Dade Police Department. The series is based on the novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay.

Spoilers follow...

Last season dealt with us getting to know Dexter and his back story. He was adopted. His adoptive father found out Dexter had powers of the dark side (homicidal tendencies) but taught him to channel his powers for "good". Dexter learned that he should only kill people who kill other people. Still illegal but it makes us feel good about him. A big case appears with a guy going around killing hookers, draining them of their blood, chopping them up and leaving them in tidy pieces for the police to find. Dubbed the Ice Truck Killer, this guy started leaving clues for Dexter. Later we find out that the Ice Truck Killer has taken interest in Dexter because he's his long lost biological brother. Twisted.

This season, Dexter is having trouble because he had to kill his murderous brother. He can't get a hard on for killing anymore. To make matters worse, a underwater expedition team has stumbled upon Dexter's body dumping ground. A huge investigation is underway and the FBI is involved. Dexter finally gets his cool serial killer nickname, the "Bay Harbor Butcher".

Now that the FBI is in the picture, I can't see the show lasting past this season. Unless the writers pull some mind-blowing writing stunts this could be the last season??? I hope not because this show is such a treat every week.

New Show: Journeyman

NBC's Journeyman

HBO's Rome is over so what do you do with a fine, Scottish specimen of a man like Kevin McKidd? You give him his own show where he's running around, jumping and hopefully taking his shirt off. You also throw in some plot about him quantum leaping to the past and mucking up the future. You also make sure to get him in the shower....

I saw a preview for this went I went to see Transformers. I'm going to give it a chance just to look at Kevin gracing the screen. I wonder if the story will be any good? Here's hoping...

Thoughts on Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix

In short: I liked it.

In long: It was a little underwhelming. I guess because the movie dealt with darker themes. It was a beautiful movie as usual but didn't give me that sense of wonderment like the earlier movies. Come to think of it, the movie prior to this didn't do that either but I was impressed with it because it was clever.

Order of the Phoenix...
It was information heavy. Ms. Umbridge was completely horrific but entertaining. What a scary lady. She was scary in an insane way. On first look, she's supposed to be sugar and spice because she looks like a pink, fuzzy, huggable plush toy. On double take, that lady had sharp teeth and was a total Nazi.
Voldemort was a complete joke. He was toying with Harry Potter in this movie and quite frankly, if he was the all powerful Dark Lord, doesn't he have better things to do than to play hide and seek with lil' ol' Harry Potter? I just didn't see his motivation in this movie. You know how The Borg felt completely watered down and sterile by the seventh season of Star Trek: Voyager? That's how Voldemort felt to me. I just didn't feel the scary.
Maybe I should have done a marathon prior to seeing the movie so that I would have had a momentum.

The special effects were stellar. The new teachers were interesting but no.... I'm not reading the books.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Wikipedia
Harry Potter: Official Site

Star Trek TOS Gets 4th Season

No.... not with Star Trek: New Voyages (which and watched and love BTW) but with a comic book. Like Buffy.

It was supposed to come out today but I haven't seen any news on it.
Here is more info from the publishers, IDW.

Space. The final frontier. This is the voyage of the Starship Enterprise. Her five-year mission to explore strange new worlds? It continues here, with the launch of Year Four in the Original Series' five-year mission. Boldly going where no man has gone before are writer David Tischman (Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Space Between) and artist Steve Conley (Astounding Space Thrills). Up first, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Enterprise discover the Strand, the multi-planet construct of a dead civilization, run by a brilliant genetic scientist who's obsessed with repopulating it. When Kirk discovers the scientist's secret, his creations revolt, forcing Kirk to make a hard decision and pushing the Enterprise into the crossfire! Joe Corroney will provide variant covers for the entire series

If anyone reads it, let me know what you think.

Drooling for Flash Gordon

http://www.scifi.com/flashgordon

The new Flash Gordon (Eric Johnson) is moderately hot. Maybe if I see him in action he'll get hotter. Believe it or not, he's not why I'm excited about this show. I'm excited because there will be space ships, campy bad guys, big guns, naked man chest and my absolute favorite, elaborate costumes.

This picture totally reminds me of John Crichton and Scorpius with the Aurora Chair.

We are going to get Ming the Merciless!!! ....and global warming is his fault. Also, Flash has to deal with Ming because he thinks his egg head father is trapped on Mongo, Ming's planet. I'm willing bet we're going to hear Ming say, "Flash, I am your father." ;)

His girlfriend will be Gina Holden from Bloodties. I wonder if that means that her character is dying off on that show or if the show is cancelled. Hmmmm.....

BSG: What's This Razor Business?

So....
They are serious. Next season will be the last season of BSG. Smallville has lasted longer than that. Hell, Earth: Final Conflict lasted longer than that. I still can't accept this loss which is why this info is still a fresh wound for me. It's just not right. I blame reality shows. They are so cheap to produce and make tons of profit because of it. Compared to that tripe, BSG can't compare. (total spiteful speculation)

This November, they are going to pull a movie out of their arse and have a dead character, Helena Cain and Lee Adama hold their own in this movie. Of course this will be a flashback movie. I just don't get it. Why do this? Why these characters? It better be good.

Lucy Lawless is coming back. um.... yay?

Also, the crew will not necessarily find Earth but will find something Earth-like.... whatever that means.

Ah well... do what they like. I'll still have my butt planted in front of the TV.

Summer Glau: Teenage Mutant Ninja Terminator

From SciFi Wire- Chronicles' Glau Humanizes Terminator;

Summer Glau, who stars as a teenage-girl terminator in the upcoming Fox series The Sarah Connor Chronicles, told SCI FI Wire that her character is a departure from any of the models seen in the Terminator films.

*GIRLIE SQUEAL!!!!*
When I first heard about this show, I was skeptical. I never thought this show would see the light of day. I'm not gaga over the Terminator movies, not quite over elated about this show but I'll watch it.

But now that we get big RIVER TAM as a TERMINATOR, I'm totally drooling. My drooling came to an end when I realized that this show is being aired on Fox! Not only will the show be shown out of order, it will be canceled. Sarah Connor Chronicles TV Show it was nice knowing you. :(

Supergirl Flys to Smallville

Buffy gets a younger sister!

...wait.... Clark Kent gets a younger cousin....

First I'd like to take this time out to bitch about Smallville not being available on iTunes. WHY ISN'T SMALLVILLE ON ITUNES? Supernatural is up there. One Tree Hill is up there for crying out loud. I need to catch up and I'm not in the mood for the slow downloads of Bittorrent.

I have a love/hate thing for Smallville. I can only take it in small doses because of Lana Lang. (Is she dead yet?) I was really excited by the Justice League. I was even glad to see Lana marrying Lex. That meant that she wasn't going to be torturing us with her constant nagging of Clark.

Last time I watched, Lana had just found out Clark's secret. She was very clever about it too I want to add. Lana or Clark professed their love for one another and Lana was getting ready to call of the wedding with Lex. Lionel found out and threatened to kill Clark if Lana didn't go through with the wedding. Oh yeah, Lana was pregnant and Lex "did something" to the baby.

I think I got tired right at the point where I realized that I'd have to endure the Lana/Clark relationship again. BUT now they are adding Supergirl and Smallville is going into a SEVENTH season!!! I'm so proud of this show! I feel motivated to catch up and watch again. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Ready for Bionic Woman?

NBC's Bionic Woman<--- (it's an annoying Flash website)

from Wikipedia:
Struggling to make ends meet as a bartender while serving as a surrogate mom to her teenage sister, Jaime Sommers figures that her life couldn't get any more difficult. She is terribly, terribly wrong. Nearly killed in a horrifying car accident, Jamie is saved by a cutting-edge operation -- performed by her boyfriend, Will -- that leaves her with extraordinary new strength, among other artificially enhanced gifts. Now, however, Jamie must figure out how best to utilize her new abilities while embracing her new bionic identity.

It's also said that Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan) will have a Bionic eye, ear, arm and both legs. Michelle Ryan is from the UK.

From what I hear, this is going to be less remake and more re-imagining. The new Bionic Woman will be more like Alias and Painkiller Jane and less like the old show. I'm kinda scared of that because I couldn't get into either of those shows. I'll give it a fair chance.

Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) will be in the show so that's something to look forward too. Why Katee Sackoff isn't the Bionic Woman beats the hell out of me. That would have been kick ass!!!

Produced by Universal Media Studios, GEP Productions and David Eick Productions, the series was officially greenlit and given a thirteen-episode order on May 10, 2007.[1] It is currently scheduled to air on Wednesday nights at 9:00/8:00c premiering on September 26, 2007 on NBC.

William Gibson To Visit Second Life

How cool is that? I'm gonna be lazy and copy and paste from the publisher.

In Cyberspace everyone can hear you scream

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation ... A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding."

In 1984 William Gibson invented the word cyberspace in his seminal novel Neuromancer and today, nearly 25 years later, a growing and significant number of people are spending increasing amounts of time and money inside 'computer generated constructs', whether they be perhaps the most analogous to Gibson's idea of cyberspace (Second Life), game-like (World of Warcraft) or social (facebook).

So when we first started dabbling in Second Life we quickly realized that something interesting Penguin could do would be to bring William Gibson into this strange new place, a place he seemed to have predicted and described years ago (though he disputes this). Unsurprisingly many of the older residents of Second Life are hardcore sci-fi and cyberpunk fans and dotted around the virtual landscape are a number of sims with a suitably dystopian theme. And perhaps now we have a great opportunity to connect an author and his fans in a totally new, and in this case totally appropriate, environment.

Per New World Notes, Gibson will be at Nexus Prime. The appearance is slated for August 2. To attend, IM Jeremy Neumann or join the SL group "Penguin Readers".

Heroes: I Was Partially Right

Ok... I'm SO reading the latest issue of TV Guide and commenting on the articles as I flip through it.

In one of the episodes of my podcast, I speculated that Hiro had returned to feudal Japan because *he* was the hero that his dad used to tell him about as a young boy. Turns out that Hiro isn't the hero but the hero isn't the hero that Hiro thought him to be so Hiro has to create the hero in the legends. (I wrote that sentence like that on purpose >:)

There will be some Hiro love non-love next season and it involves a princess. I was a little concerned about this but I'm sure it will be fine.

I'm a little annoyed with the new Hero; a latina trying to enter the US from Mexico illegally.
*rolls eyes*

Heros: Origins:
Created to retain viewers. It's not going to be put into effect until next year.

NBC will air 24 episodes of Heroes next season with only two brief breaks (December and March), ending with a big-bang finale in April. Then comes Origins, running through May sweeps.

Uh huh.

Each hour of the anthology will profile a new hero. None of the Heroes regulars will be seen in the spin off. If the characters really click, they may be added to Heroes.

Right.

I don't think this is necessary but ok. I think it's just extra calories for the uber-fans. I hope this works. In any case, it just means more great content.

...and What the Hell is Kyle XY?

I keep hearing about this show Kyle XY but I haven't seen a preview and I don't know what the hell it is.

Kyle XY is an American drama television series about Kyle, a boy who wakes up in the forest outside of Seattle, Washington with no memory of his life up until that point. The series follows Kyle as he tries to understand the mysteries of who he is, such as why he has no navel or why he has no memory of being a child.

Ooohhhh! Another show in "Seattle"!!!
This show sounds like John Doe meets Dark Angel.
*Yawn*
Did I just yawn?
Do I have to watch this?
*Sighs*

I'll give it a shot... It's probably damned good and I'll kick myself in the arse for not trying it sooner.

Bruce Campbell Gets Work But WTF is Burn Notice?

BRUCE!
BRUCE!
BRUCE!
BRUCE!
BRUCE!
BRUCE!
BRUCE!
Our man Bruce Campbell is back on TV!!!!!!! *GIRLIE SQUEAL*
The show is called Burn Notice and it is on the USA Network along with shows like 4400, Dead Zone, Psych and Monk.

Now that I'm done falling all over myself, what is this Burn Notice show about???

When spies get fired, they don't get a letter from human resources.

They get BURNED...

The action/spy genre gets a refreshing update with USA Network's newest original series, Burn Notice. Jeffrey Donovan stars as Michael Westen, an international spy who suddenly finds himself blacklisted. Dumped in his hometown of Miami without money or resources, Michael struggles to put his life back together and find out why he's been burned. In the meantime, he uses his unique skills and training to help people in need ... mostly people who can't get help from the police.

Michael is joined by Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) an ex-IRA operative, who also happens to be an ex-girlfriend; and Sam (Bruce Campbell), a washed-out military intelligence contact who's being used by the feds to keep tabs on Michael.

*Nods slowly*
Ok.....
I guess I'll have to give it a shot.

My Name is Agent Gideon, Blah, Blah, Blah, Prepare to Die

Off Topic:
Mandy Patinkin is leaving Criminal Minds. That's like Grissom leaving CSI. It just shouldn't happen. He was being a diva and didn't show up for work. There's no official word on why he's leaving but contracts and dissatisfaction of the shows contents is what's flying around. Damn shame. How will the show survive?

More from a fellow blogspotter: Criminal Minds Fanatic

4400: Not a Bad Start

The new season of 4400 is off to a good start. I'm not drooling but I am beginning to sit on the edge of my seat. I'm not sure about how I feel about the religious turn the show has taken but it's intriguing. I mean hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side but people with powers are still cool. Though 4400 came first, I do kinda feel that it has to differentiate itself from Heroes. The religious thing does that. It also feels less comic bookish than Heroes and that's a good thing.

Predictions: Isabelle is going to get the axe.

Observations: Jordan is less snake oil salesman this season and more like a mob boss. He doesn't seem as fanatic as Kyle but time will tell if he's crazy or not.

This show makes me want to go to Seattle (or Vancouver where it is shot). This show is always so pretty.

Blog Anniversary and New Look

I decided to refresh the look of the blog a bit. I put my Second Life avatar in an Orion Slave Girl skin. Let me know what you think :)

My big move is over with and I'm a little less stressed. I should be back to regular blog posts in no time.

Also, I just noticed that my blog anniversary was last month. I started in June 2004. Wow!!! Three years of girlie squealing and nitpicking. In that time, I've started a podcast and became a Second Lifeaholic. I've seen some good shows come and go.... and of course some bad ones that would not die or got the boot. When I started, iTunes didn't have TV downloads, now I can get most of the shows that I want on demand. We now have our first SciFi internet TV show, Sanctuary. Webisodes are the new black.

I don't always update regularly but when I do....c'mon.... you know you love it. Here's to three more years :)

Farscape Returns in a Torture Format

'Farscape' returns online, Sci Fi readies 'Galactica' TV movie

"Farscape" - the series that science-fiction fans keep wanting to revive - will be back, sort of.

Ten two-minute episodes will be made available online at scifi.com. Other details, including when the mini episodes will start and who will be in them, are pending.

"We just thought it was a way to feed fans' tremendous hunger for the show," says Dave Howe, general manager of the Sci Fi Channel, which owns the Web site.

I'm glad the show is "back" but two minutes?????????? Let me just say for the record that if something is good, it should last more than two frelling minutes. Two minutes is not going to do anything but piss me off. I guess I'll just wait and do a marathon.

Dresden Files on the Chopping Block?

'DRESDEN FILES' IN DANGER?
Rescue effort underway to save one of Sci Fi Channel's better shows

Is this a surprise? I hope they give it another season and start showing stuff in order. If you have to show your episodes out of order. It's seems like the show suffers for it. I think they should give Dresden another chance.

Upcoming Start Dates

from SFTV.org

 Burn Notice (USA Network)           Jun 28  (Series Debut)
Doctor Who (SciFi)                  Jul  6  (Series Three US Debut)
 Eureka (SciFi)                      Jul 10  (Season Two)
Monk (USA Network)                  Jul 13  (Season Six)
Psych (USA Network)                 Jul 13  (Season Two)
Who Wants to be a Superhero? (SciFi) Jul 25 (Season Two)
Derren Brown Project (SciFi)        Jul 25  (Series Debut)
Fallen (ABC Family)                 Aug  3  (Limited Series Return)
Jekyll (BBC America)                Aug  4  (US Debut)
 Masters of Science Fiction (ABC)    Aug  5  (Series Debut)
Flash Gordon (SciFi)                Aug 10  (Series Debut)
Doctor Who (BBC America)            Sep  8  (Series Two BBC America Debut)
Torchwood (BBC America)             Sep  8  (US Debut)
Tin Man (SciFi)                     Dec     (Miniseries Debut)
Afterlife (BBC America)             ???     (Season Two)
Life on Mars (BBC America)          Jan     (Season Two)

[edited Jul 20]
Bionic Woman (BBC) Sept 26
Battlestar Galactica (SciFi) Aug ??
Who Wants to be a Superhero (SciFi) July 26

SciFi Webisodes

SciFi Pulse

Stargate: Unending

I'm happy with the way that Stargate SG1 ended. I don't feel compelled to launch a campaign to save the show. It was a good show and it was time to end it. I think most people felt that way. I'll miss the characters but there are movies in the works and that is good enough for me. I wonder what they are going to do with Teal'c?

Doctor Who

I can't believe how WONDERFUL season 3 (or 29) of Doctor Who was. There was one weak episode and it wasn't really all that weak. The entire season was on the edge, clever and funny storytelling.
As far as my favorites, I'm still torn between the Shakespeare episode and the scary statue episode. I love the episodes with The Master and the Paradox machine. Not to mention my favorite character Captain Jack Harkness. I'm such a fag hag for him :) Martha's character development was a real surprise and treat. I'd really like to see a short comic book run of her travels of the world during the year away from the Doctor.

I also don't think that The Master is dead. His "companion" was the one who shot and killed him. I'm sure there was some sort of catch behind that.

Can't wait 'til Christmas.

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Sanctuary

Sanctuary

If you haven't caught the Sanctuary webisodes, you should give it a try. We, fans, have been whining about getting more SciFi even if it's produced only on the web and we finally got our wish. I like the show so far. The first two eps are a bit... so-so mainly because we are establishing characters. By the 3rd episode, I was hooked. It's a good watch. I really wish they would feed the show into iTunes so I can watch it on my video iPod. I'm sure that's coming though.

Go to the site to find out more info.

Nitpick: I hate Amada Tapping's wig. She's one of those people that looks 100% better as a blonde. The black hair just drowns her face and she looks so grim. I know that sorta the point. I guess I have to get used to it.
...and you know.... if that's my only nitpick, the show is damned good :)