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

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!

Happy Life Day

Happy Life Day to all!

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".

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!

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/

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.

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!*

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

Bionic Woman Review is Up

My Bionic Woman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/bionic_woman/

Doctor Who: The Teeth Are Back

from SciFi Wire:

Rose Tyler is bringing her arse back to Doctor Who. Honestly, I kinda miss her. I love Martha. I don't think it's fair that they are imposing on Martha's companion-ship with The Doctor but it will be good to see Rose again. With Catherine Tate on board, the doctor is going to have a threesome (foursome?) on his hands. Honestly, the thought of all four of them together sounds like a hilarious ride.

I can't wait to "visit Cardiff" this Christmas.

(Note: I wrote Tardiff at first. LOL!)

Journeyman Review Is Up

My Journeyman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/journeyman/

Battlestar Galactica: Razor

Bottom Line: I liked Battlestar Galactica: Razor.

I remember when they first introduced Helena Caine, I thought the story was wrapped up too fast. I wanted more. I feel that someone listened. This story was interesting but didn't impose itself with the latest happenings of the current storyline on BSG until the last scene.

Helena Caine... that bitch is fierce. She had the Darth Vader style of management. Too bad because Scott Bacic is one of my favorite actors. It was good to see him in BSG. Maybe he can come back as a cylon or something. Anyhoo... Caine is definitely no Janeway. She's shooting her 2nd in command, authorizing Cylons to be raped, ordering civilians to be executed and their ships to be pillaged. To top it off she awards her lap dog, Kendra Shaw, with a knife.

There were two big reveals in this episode. One was that Adama discovered some cylon hybrid ships. They were the bridge between the toaster cylons and the new model skin jobs. The cylons also had some sort of superweapon. I really didn't care about that though.

The second big reveal is that Starbuck is supposed to be leading the human race to its end. She is the herald of the apocalypse; the harbinger of death. They must not follow her.
Interesting....

Numb3rs - Graphic

I haven't watched Numb3rs since Larry went to space. When I heard that Joe Morton, Wil Wheaton and Christopher Lloyd was going to be on the up and coming episode, I had to take some time out to watch it. This episode was about a greedy comic book collecting tycoon (Wil Wheaton) presenting an one- of- a- kind, first and only edition of a comic book drawn by an ailing comic artist (Christopher Lloyd). Wil's character unveiled this comic book at a comic book convention. Of course there were people running around in Star Trek costumes:TOS costumes, TNG uniforms, TOS Klingons, Jedi. Hell, I think I even saw a Bajoran costume. There was even a light saber duel going on. It was a great episode for that alone.

The meat of the story is that when Wil's character unveiled the comic book, some guys came in with guns and stole it. A security guard was murdered which is why they brought Charlie and Don. There were a few back stories going on. Don broke up with his girlfriend and was moping around the office. Colby was looking for a girlfriend and ended up with a acrobat from Cirque Du Soleil. *raises eyebrows* Charlie and his friends and family was being interviewed by Joe Morton's character, a reporter from Vanity Fair. It was funny because when Charlie first saw the Joe Morton character he confused him for a science professor. *Eureka squeal!!!* Charlie wrote a book on math and human relationships. Joe Morton's character was doing a man- behind- the- math story. The best part of this B-story was the quote from Charlie's dad. He said, "Charlie thinks that math is beautiful. I think he just wants to share that with the world."

Ok... back to the geekery. Turns out that the whole stealing of the comic book story was set up by a fellow comic book artist. He didn't think that Wil Wheaton's character should profit from the rarity of the comic book. He believed that the comic book should belong to the original author. He set up the whole theft to present the comic book to the ailing author (Christopher Lloyd's character).
[edit/added]There was some other stuff involved but the book was recovered and given back to the Wil Wheaton character. Fans put pressure on him and he gave the comic book, free of charge, back to the original creator. [Thanks for calling me on that Valor :)]

It was a nice, fun story and reminded me that I need to catch up on Numb3rs.

Note: I'm brain dead because it's the end of the semester. If you want to read a really great recap of this episode, check out one of my favorite recap sites TV Squad. The do a great job.

Also, I ran across a site blog:

...where a professor from Northeastern University's Math department posts mathematical comments on the television show "Numb3rs".

Northeastern University Department of Mathematics

How cool is that?

Writer's Strike Update

from: AOL TV
http://television.aol.com/feature/writers-strike/effect-on-tv-shows

'Bionic Woman': Production shut down after 9 of 13 episodes completed
'Battlestar Galactica: Production on fourth and final season shut down after 10 of 22 episodes and two-hour movie, 'Razor' completed
'Grey's Anatomy': Production shut down after 11 of 22 episodes completed
'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit': Production shut down after 14 of 22 episodes completed
'Lost': Will have eight of 16 episodes completed, premiere still scheduled for February
'K-Ville': Production shut down after 10 of 13 episodes completed
'24': Production on a seventh season has been postponed after eight episodes; show will not return until all 24 episodes can air uninterrupted
'The Office': On hiatus after cast didn't show up
'The Daily Show With Jon Stewart': On hiatus, airing repeats
'Big Bang Theory': On hiatus
'The Colbert Report': On hiatus, airing repeats
'Heroes': Scripts written until 11th episode, which may serve as a season finale Nov. 3
'Jericho': Entire seven-episode season ready to air

Roboxotica: Rosie, Get Me a Drink

Ok. It's 7 a.m. I'm scanning Twitter to see what's going on with the people in my circle. I come across an article that says that a Roboxotica convention is going on. Cool! Sex and robots! No. Think again. This convention is about machines making humans alcoholic beverages. There's a whole convention dedicated to this? And Cory Doctorow is speaking at it? Needless to say, I got my morning chuckle from this one. I am SO amused.

Here are pictures from the convention:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanbonner/sets/72157603271250067/

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm saying it now because I won't be posting tomorrow- unless I get really bored. Happy Thanksgiving.
Every year I try to rack my brain to come up with something that is science fiction and Thanksgiving. The only thing I can ever come up with is the episode of Buffy where she tried to make dinner but was attacked by the spirit of a Native American. Pangs.

Journeyman Review Is Up

My Journeyman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/journeyman/

Kindle: I'm Not Thinking So

Look at the size of that thing! My hand is cramping from looking at it. The Kindle does not look cool. It looks like the clunky tech from Star Trek: TOS. This hardware is NOT sexy. It looks like a medical device.

You have to pay 99 cents to read a free blog like mine and I get no money from it!!! HELL NO!

There are monthly subscriptions for newspapers from US$9.99 to US$14.99, magazines at US$1.99 and US$2.99, blogs (yes free blogs) for US$0.99 each per month, and Word document and photo email attachment support for US$0.10 each.

NO back light but you can buy a light attachment. *gasp* Somebody was smoking crack on that one. It's $399 with NO touch screen.

The idea was to mimic the experience of reading an actual book as much as possible, Bezos said, though he acknowledged that Amazon "will never outbook the book." Suggested accessories on the Kindle purchase page actually include a clip-on reading lamp.

FAIL! I was excited about it. I wanted to like the Kindle but it's so huge. I don't want another gadget to pack around or I'll be wearing a gadget belt for real.

Plus, I get motion sickness if I read and travel. It's why I love audio books. I won't be spending money on this... evar!!!

Neil Gaiman is Hot!

I'm thrilled about all of the Neil Gaiman news lately. He has Beowulf, Stardust and now something called Coraline. All of that is cool but I'm dying for a Neverwhere re-make. Live action would be great but I wouldn't mind an animated version of the book. Keep up the awesome work Neil.

I Want the 3 Skypephone NOW!

I'm in the market for a new mobile phone. I love the BlackBerry Curve but I'm not satisfied with any of the service plans available. What I'm really looking for is a bit of freedom. It seems like I won't be able to get that freedom because I'm in the US. I'm talking bout the new 3 Skypephone. It's not much to look at. It doesn't have a QWERTY keyboard; something I'm really craving right now. It *does* have Skype which is something that I'm really, REALLY interested in using. I like Skype as a communication service. I like the features such as being able to block callers. I can IM with my friends that use Skype via phone or computer. I'd buy it right this second if they sold it in the US. From the looks of it, there are no plans to sell it in the United States. I'm pretty pissed about this. Get it together Skype, get us those phones now!

I was seriously considering buying the phone and trying to mod it. I don't the first thing about that so I guess I'll have to wait until Skype gets off their cute bums and get this service in the US.

Links:
Skype's info on the phone
Official 3 Skypephone website
http://www.3mobilebuzz.com/

Bionic Woman: Antonio Kicks the Bucket

My Bionic Woman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/bionic_woman/

Crystals, Hippies and Journeyman. Oh My!

My Journeyman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/journeyman/

Project Runway Wednesday

Sometimes science fiction takes a back seat. Today is one of those days. Today is all about fabulous fashion. TODAY is the season premiere of Project Runway. I'm screaming at the TV like I'm watching the superbowl. It's crazy.

Back From Seeing Star Trek in the Theater

I'm fresh out of the theater from seeing Star Trek: The Menagerie. I was really excited to see the episode on the big screen. It was the re-mastered version and it looked amazing. The scenes that really stood out were the space scenes; the stars are now in 3D. The ship looks 100% better. The ship is totally CGI now (I think). There was one major scene that was re-done. It was an overhead Enterprise shot of the crew. It was phenomenal and worth the ticket price alone.

As far as the audience, there was only one guy in a partial uniform. I had on Star Trek earrings but you had to really be in my face and know the logo to tell. I didn't really see anyone in Star Trek t-shirts. To my surprise, I didn't see any of the usual Trekkies out either. The theater was packed and the audience was responsive. We even applauded at the end.

I went to the Houston showing at Studio 30.

News Niblets: Nov. 11, 2007

---Winona Ryder is Spock's mom in the new Star Trek movie. Now they're just letting anyone on this film. I kid, I kid. Wow! They are really making a big deal out of this film. I'm impressed.
On another note, I've already bought my tickets for The Menagerie on Tuesday. I don't think they'll be a line but I'm take off of work early just to ease my mind.

---African fantasy. Awesome! I wonder what that is like? Would be cool to see a movie.

SF and fantasy author Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu told SCI FI Wire that her latest novel, The Shadow Speaker, is what she likes to call "African fantasy with elements of science fiction."

---Klaatu barada nikto. Jennifer Connelly has joined the cast of the The Day the Earth Stood Still re-make. YAY! Keanu Reeves is still in it. (crickets)

The Writer's Strike Back

Yes. I know. An incredibly lame headline.

When I first heard that there was going to be a writer's strike. I didn't pay it much attention. Seems like they've done this before and it's was smoothed over then forgotten. I don't recall a strike where shows we shut down and episodes not delivered. I didn't realize that writers had so much power. WOW! I respect what they are doing. At least they are not suing the viewers.

The LA Times has a great quick and dirty list of the shows affected. Bionic Woman isn't on this list, neither is Flash Gordon.

Here is some cutting and pasting from the LA Times as it relates to the science fiction genre:

"Lost"- Expected to have eight out of 16 episodes ready. Midseason, none have aired yet.
"CSI"- Will have 11 or 12 out of 22 episodes completed.
"CSI: Miami"- Will have 13 out of 24 episodes completed.
"CSI: NY"- Will have 13 or 14 out of 22 episodes completed.
"Criminal Minds"- Will have 11 or 12 of 22 episodes completed.
"Numb3rs"- Will have 12 of 22.
"Moonlight"- Expected to have 11 out of 12 episodes completed; has not received an order for a full season.
"Jericho"- Will have seven of seven episodes. (The fans fought so hard for it to return only for the show to be held up by a strike.)
"Medium"- Will have nine of 22 episodes completed.
"Journeyman"- Will have 12 of 13 episodes; has not yet received an order for a full season. (NO FINALE?!? That's just cruel)
"Smallville"- Will have 12 to 14 of 22 episodes.
"Supernatural"- Has 12 to 14 episodes completed; Those shows also have roughly five scripts that are ready to shoot.
"Beauty and the Geek"- Has six remaining for the fall season and a 10-episode run for early next year. (I've never watched this!)
"24"- Will have eight or nine out of 24 episodes completed. Originally scheduled for January, now premiere is delayed.
"Stargate Atlantis"- Expected to go on as scheduled.
"Battlestar Galactica"- Has 10 hours of episodes, plus a two hour movie to air this Fall.
"Eureka"- Will be affected. (Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

This is a nightmare. It's not the end of the world but I wonder when this will be over.

Bionic Woman: Jamie Sommers 007

My Bionic Woman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/bionic_woman/

Journeyman vs. Journeyman

My Journeyman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/journeyman/

Direct to DVD: White Noise 2

Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff are starring in White Noise 2? ...and it's going be released direct- to- DVD? I love both of those actors but when I hear direct to DVD, I think suck. I don't think that I've ever went out and got a direct- to- DVD movie before. I've seen them on the SciFi Channel but that's it. Since I'm yapping my jaws about it here, I must admit that the movie has peeked my curiosity. I guess the real question is, was the first White Noise any good?


From IMDB:

A man's family is killed and he is brought back from the verge of death, he then realises he can identify people who are about to die.

Time Magazine Says iPhone is Invention of the Year

Ok. Dammit. I'm SICK of the iPhone.

Invention of the year? Seriously? I'm sure there are other inventions that are more meaningful to human existence than the iPhone. It's a very good device but enough is enough.

I *am* interested in the Google phone but not if it's touch screen.

Whedon Is Fox's Whipping Boy Again

After Firefly, how could you man?

The new show is called Dollhouse and FOX has ordered seven episodes. I'm glad to know this now. There is no guarantee of anything after the seven episodes and I can live with that. Roughly, it's Dark City meets Paycheck meets 007. People are programmed to go on missions and at the end of the day their memories are wiped clean. Eliza Dushku plays an agent who is becoming aware that something is going on. An interesting note is that she will also be a producer on this show. How cool is that?

Whedon doesn't disappoint so I'm looking forward to this project.

New Knight Rider Gets a RAWR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Flash Gordon: ehhh...
New Speed Racer: yawn...
New Knight Rider: GIRLIE SQUEAL!!!

If Justin Bruening opens his mouth and sounds like Hayden Christensen, I'm going to shoot someone. (Not really) The new show will not be a re-make but a continuation; Knight Rider: The Next Generation if you will. According to the SciFi Wire, Justin "Hawt buns" Bruening will be the son of Knight Rider.
NBC is behind this. I think I'm beginning to have a network crush on NBC.

Heroes Origins Flops. Do You Care?

SciFi Wire reports that Heroes: Origins will be shelved due to a writer's strike. Slice of SciFi reports that the current Heroes season maybe be ending early because of the same writer's strike. Is the number one science fiction show in real trouble or is this just standard stuff that will blow over? Production has just stopped on Origins. The strike has interfered so much that they are talking about shooting an alternate ending. How does this work? If an alternate ending is needed, doesn't someone have to write it? Being from Texas, I don't really get unions. If you don't go to work, they just hire new people... to work for less.

X-Files 2 Update: They Aren't Yanking Our Chain?

SciFi Wire reports that X-Files two is officially in production. They even have a release date of July 25, 2008! They got the original band back together; Duchovny, Anderson and Crazy Chris Carter. It's been so long since X-Files did anything that I'm still not that excited. I don't know what they could possibly do to reignite a worldwide interest in this movie. This is coming from a person who used to alter my work schedule so that I could be home on Friday nights to watch this show every week. I have X-Files action figures, comic books, trading cards, magazines and tons of other stuff. If I'm not excited, who will be?

Wachowski Brothers Doing Speed Racer

Who is still bitter about Matrix 3 raise your hand?
*scifirantergirl raises her hand*

Who cut the Wachowski's a little slack because of V for Vendetta raise your hand?
*scifirantergirl looks around and raises her hand reluctantly*

Who is pumped up about Speed Racer but unsure about the Wachowski involvement?
*scifirantergirl raises her hand*

SciFi Wire reports:

Producer Joel Silver told reporters to expect a trailer for the Wachowski brothers' upcoming film adaptation of the anime classic Speed Racer sometime around Christmas. Speaking at a news conference to promote Fred Claus, Silver said the live-action movie is "a wild ride," adding: "There's going to be a trailer out at Christmas, and it's pretty spectacular. So you'll see it pretty soon."

Talking about his longtime collaborators, Silver said: "The Wachowski brothers can't do anything easy. You know, they want to make it as hard as they possibly can. So it's a movie that has a look that you have never seen before, and it's really a vast panorama for the story."

If you read the rest of the article, it talks a good talk. It peaked my interest. Deep down, I really want to forgive the Wachowski's for Matrix 3. Will Speed Racer make up for it? I don't know. What I do know is that I used to watch this cartoon as a little girl. Truth be told, I had a little crush on Speed Racer. I look at Emile in the picture up there and I'm not in love. He looks like he can work though. We'll see...

X-Files 2: Electric Boogaloo

Here we go again. You know it's a slow news day when they break out the X-Files sequel rumors. SciFi Wire reports that comingsoon.net heard that X-Files 2 might be shooting in Vancouver beginning December 10th.

Let me predict what's going to happen. Either Gillian Anderson, David Duchovney or Chris Carter (or another cast member) is going to dispute the rumor and announce a new project that they are working on. It happens every six months.

Pay no attention to this story. I eat no crow until I have an X-Files 2 ticket in my hand.

Who's That Masked Journeyman?

My Journeyman review is up on Tubular.

http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/journeyman/