Yet Another Remake: Knight Rider

I must admit that I'm a little excited about a new Knight Rider series. Then I think of Flash Gordon and calm down a bit.

I thought "they" tried a Knight Rider re-make/re-imagining with VIPER. I could be wrong about that but I could have sworn that one of the girls on the show was supposed to be Michael Knight's daughter. It's possible that I imagined the whole thing. Someone back me up if you know what I'm talking about.

from the SciFi Wire:

NBC has tapped filmmaker Doug Liman to produce a Transformers-inspired reworking of the 1980s hit action-drama Knight Rider, Variety reported.

The network is readying a two-hour backdoor pilot for the series, with tentative plans to air it as a TV movie later this season. Liman is open to the idea of directing, assuming his feature schedule allows. If the TV movie clicks, a new-model Knight Rider could be on the air as early as next fall, the trade paper reported.

Is it just me or is NBC trying to kick some expletive deleted???

Eureka Gets a Third Season!

As if it wouldn't! I'm so happy about this. This show is doing great things and deserves it success! I'm on pins and needles waiting for Tuesday so that I can see the season finale. I can't wait to see what happens next season.

Eureka got THREE million NEW viewers???!?! That is fantastic!

On another note, they really haven't kept up with the podcast this season. I really enjoyed hearing the behind- the- scenes insight that we used to get. Colin Ferguson? What's up man?

from The SciFi Wire:

SCI FI Channel has ordered a third season of its original series Eureka, giving a green light to production of 13 new episodes, the network announced.

Eureka will begin production in Vancouver, Canada, early next year for a summer 2008 premiere.

Eureka brought more than 3 million new viewers to the channel in its second season.

Eureka: All That Glitters

All That Glitters is the first of a two- parter episode that leads to the season finale.

The show kicks off with Zoe's new boyfriend, Lucas giving her a cheap looking bracelet. I know, I know... At that age, it's the thought that counts. Diamonds bro... diamonds. :)

Jack and his new girlfriend, Callie make plans to go fishing for the weekend in a cabin. Zoe approaches Jack for permission to have a sleepover while he is out of town... with boys invited. Of course Jack freaks out. Meanwhile, the locals are abuzz because the Pythagoras statue in the middle of the town has mysteriously turned to gold. Jack calls on Henry. Henry can't make heads or tails of it. Allison approaches and Henry leaves to avoid her. Jack wants files from Global Dynamics and Allison reveals that he has to make an official request. WHOA NELLIE!!! Not only was Allison wearing a black, cranky power suit, she was pretty cold for the entire episode. This thing with Kevin is really getting to her and now her relationships with Henry and Jack are suffering. I guess I'd be a bit on edge if my son became telepathic. Actually, I think it would be cool. Although, there are somethings running through my mind that a kid shouldn't have access too....

Next, there is a dog and pony show with the D.O.D. They are dropping off a "package" in the care of Nathan Stark. The package turns out to be none other than Beverly. Turns out, she was in GITMO for betraying her country. *rolls eyes* She admits she was involved in Kim's death. She's so desperate not to go back to GITMO that she is willing to make a deal with Allison. Of course, Allison wants to know more about The Artifact. You know... I'm beginning to thing that this "Artifact" is the same thing as " The Orb" from The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

Ok, ok... back on track.

Vincent put in a call to Sheriff Carter because the patrons were stealing silverware. Everything metal in the diner was turning to gold. You can always count on Vincent to be melodramatic. He called the customers "greedy little genius vultures". Jack even had to yell at Fargo to put down a napkin dispenser. He could only stare and say, "but it's so shiny". I fell out laughing. The humor in this show is always on beat. I never have to try to like this show and that is what keeps me coming back.

Everyone starts to leave the diner and go outside, Jack goes after them to see what is going on this time. The Pythagoras statue is starting to deteriorate. It's like it's being eaten away and chunks of it is gone. It becomes too weak to stand so it crumbles and falls over. Henry discovers that the gold effect is a bacteria and it is also virulent.

Beverly and Nathan talk a bit more about The Artifact. She reveals that it is capable of human interface but can not disconnect. Nathan knows this and slips out that he needed to help "him". Beverly picks up on this and feels she has another bargaining chip.

No! I haven't forgot that the glowingly, sexy Micheal Shanks is in this episode. He's playing a naughty professor who is trying to turn stuff to gold. Mmmmm.... I love naughty professors. There was some technobabble about hydrochloric acid and some "Alchemist's Curse". Apparently, Babylon, Atlantis and Mayan civilizations fell because of this. Interesting!

While trying to figure out how to stop the gold virus from spreading, the towns structures become unstable. Anything with metal is starting to collapse. It's time for another Eureka Evacuation ^TM. They evacuate this town more than the citizens of Smallville go to the hospital.... or Kirk takes off his shirt.

While the town is falling apart, Henry finally gets to confront Beverly. I was SO scared for her. I thought Henry was going to assault her. He actually threatened to kill her. Scary! Kudos to Joe Morton, that man is brilliant. Bev starts to talk fast. She reveals that she left the device that Henry found in Kim's office. She wanted him to find it. They talk a bit more about The Artifact and Henry tells Bev that The Artifact is inside Kevin, Allison's son. They also talk about something called the Akashic Field. It's some hippie, Edgar Cayce type of stuff. :)

In mid-evacuation and collapse crisis, Nathan figures out a way to reverse the effects of the gold virus. Jack has to go to the bottom of the building to apply the fix, it's the same place that Fargo got trapped. If Jack succeeds, there will be smiles and giggles for everyone. If he fails, the building collapses on him, Fargo and everyone else. Of course it works like magic and the day is saved.

Of course, that isn't the end of it. Jack learns that the bacteria has jumped from metal to humans. This means that the gold will start eating human flesh. Jack appropriately responds, "I hate this day."

It gets worse, Henry releases Beverly and confronts Allison. I'm not sure what's going to happen but these two have had a cat fight in the queue for quite sometime. Some emergency lift is activated and Allison, Henry and Bev are taken to the bottom of Global Dynamics.

DUN DUN DUNNNN!!!
To be continued...

Review: Bionic Woman Pilot.

Here is the link to the Bionic Woman entries on Tubular:
http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/bionic_woman/

Don't forget to leave some comment love on the site for me!!!

PS. I'll still be blogging here, I'll only be blogging Bionic Woman and Journeyman there. The Bionic Woman entry that I just put up was fun. Check it out.

Zombies on a Plane???

Seriously?

If this movie doesn't have Samuel L. Jackson in it, I'm not amused. Snakes on a Plane was so over- hyped that I have anything- on- a- plane fatigue.

Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane needs to be funny. I don't recognize any of the actors right off. We all know that this movie is getting press because of the Snakes on a Plane reference. I'm not expecting anything. I'm not sure that I want to see it in theaters unless there is something that gets me really excited about this movie.


http://www.planedeadthemovie.com/

I'm Blogging For My Local Newspaper!

Guess what??? Chicken butt!

Just jivin'.

I have some Girlie Squeal^TM worthy news. I'm blogging for The Houston Chronicle's TV blog called Tubular. It is TV show recap and review blog. The two shows that I'm blogging are Journeyman and Bionic Woman. I get two NBC shows! w00t!!! I'm really excited about this!

I already have my first entry up for Journeyman. It's more recap than review because it's a new show. Next week I will unleash my my usual brand of snarky love.

Here is the link to the Journeyman entries:
http://blogs.chron.com/tubular/archives/journeyman/

I'll have the link for Bionic Woman on Thursday.

Don't forget to leave some comment love on the site for me. Smoochies!

Heroes: Four Months Later... WOW!

Heroes: Four Months Later

The good: It was great to see all of our favorite Heroes again. Peter Petrelli is alive!

The bad: Sulu is dead. No Sylar appearance. (We do see him in the previews for next week though.)

The ugly: Nissan's advertising during this was awkward and a turn off. Surely there was a more interesting way to advertise. Nissan showing the SAME commercial in their generous limited commercial interruption bored me. I didn't buy Claire's excitement about a car that I'd never heard of. I didn't even understand her when she said it.
Dear Nissan,
When your cars fly, I'll be interested.
Love, Cat.

Does anyone have anything bad to say about the season premiere of Heroes? Maybe some nitpicks but over all it was a winner.

We begin with Mohinder lecturing to a crowd in Egypt about how evolved humans exist. He urges his sparce audience to support the cause of understanding and awareness. I got confused here because for some reason, I thought that the humans with special powers were already revealed to the general population. I forgot that I wasn't watching The 4400 and that "Hero" status isn't widely known.

After the lecture, we are introduced to a mysterious man that has been following Mohinder around for weeks. His behavior hints that he may be from "The Company". Mohinder tries to shut the guy down by telling him that the research is extremely expensive. The guy, let's call him Midas, reveals that he has the power of turning anything to gold. I must admit, THIS is the power I want.

Claire and her family has moved to California. The Bennets are now the Butlers. HRG urges Claire to be average and normal. She's the new girl in school, in the 11th grade and can't be a cheerleader. It pains her to not be her best but she knows she must do it for survival. It's a sad survival tactic. On the steamy side, she meets a cute but annoying future boyfriend. We find near the end of the show that he can fly. Let's hope that they are not related. *cough* Luke *cough* Leia *cough* *cough*

Hiro is in 1671 Japan. He and his hero, Takezo Kensei are outnumbered by an opposing force. The soldiers launch arrows into the air at both the men. Hiro freezes time, plays with the arrows, let's out some cute banter and transports Kensei and himself off of the battlefield. Turns out that this wasn't the real Kensei. The real Kensei paid someone to confront the soldiers. If the fake Kensei lived, he got paid. If not, dead men don't care about money. After more discussion, Hiro asks to meet the Kensei behind the mask. Much to Hiro's disappointment, his Japenese hero was a "gaijin" white boy from England. I was highly amused by this and it was perfect. I really love the comedic timing with Hiro. Everything is always just right when he is on screen.

As Hiro spends more time with his "hero", he finds out that the real Takezo Kensi is more Ferengi than Klingon. For Hiro, this will not do. Hiro follows Kensi to a burning village and it turns out that this is the village that Kensi was supposed to save in Japanese legend. Kensi is also supposed to fall in love with the swordsman's daughter. She's pissed at him for swindling them out of their money and not protecting her father. Overwhelmed by EVERYTHING going wrong Hiro whines, "I broke history".

We join Matt in the middle of a hostage situation. He is leading his team efficiently and confidently. I'm so impressed with his kick ass and chew bubble gum attitude that I almost forgot that he'd been shot four times in the season finale. Matt successfully eliminates the hostage taker by reading the mind of his victim. Too good to be true, lights fade up and Matt's supervisor compliments him on an exercise well done. After going through several tests and trials over the past four months, Matt finally gets his badge back!

Later in the story we learn that Matt divorced his wife and is caring for Molly with Mohinder. Molly isn't adjusting well. Her teacher brings up her concern for Molly and shows Matt some of the disturbing pictures that Molly has been drawing in class. Molly is also having nightmares of a bigger bad than Sylar. I must admit that Sylar is almost cute and cuddly for me. I'm glad they are bringing in some new, bad blood.

Ando is still looking after Hiro's dad, Mr. Sulu.... Mr. Kaito Nakamura. Ando gets a newspaper for Mr. Nakamura. A picture of him with the Kensei symbol marked over his face falls out of it. He gets spooked and reveals to Ando that this message means that he will be dead in 24 hours. Ando vows to protect Mr. Nakamura. Fearing for his life, Mr. Nakamura decides stand out on a roof, exposed to anyone. This irritated me to no end. He seems as if he is ready to die. I saw no honor in waiting to be killed. A guy with his face obscured in black hoodie catches Mr. Nakamura off guard, charges at him and tackles him off of the building. Mr. Nakamura falls to his death. Talk about senseless and anti- climactic.

Nathan Petrelli looks like he's taking the place of Pigeon Man this season. He has a full, ratty beard and he looks like he smells. He's still depressed about Peter. We gather from his behavior that he thinks Peter is dead but feels a glimmer of hope. Grandma Petrelli looks ragged too. She blames Nathan for their current, humble situation. She's still wearing a fur and pearls so they must not be doing that bad. After harsh words were exchanged, Nathan throws her out. Grandma Petrelli finds a picture similar to the one that Mr. Nakamura found on the wall outside Nathan's flat. She responds in the same manner as Mr Nakamura. I like Grandma Petrelli because she's a fashionista and just plain fabulous. Aside for her wanting to let New York explode, I can't see why they would want to kill off her character.

Mr. Noah "HRG" Bennet now works for Copy Kingdom. What's even more humiliating is that HRG has a snarly, micro- managing boss who harasses him every chance he gets. After weeks of abuse, HRG puts the smack down on his boss by pinning him down on the break table with one finger. It was so pathetic that I don't think HRG's boss will be making anymore threats.

We are introduced to an new Hero. She is trying to get to America from Mexico with her brother Alejandro. They encounter a sleazy truck driver who shuttles immigrants to the American border. The driver is inappropriate with Maya and tries to get more cash out of the two. Alejandro tries to protect his sister but is thrown from the truck and left behind. Not giving up, Alejandro chases after the truck and eventually finds it. He finds everyone dead and Maya sitting in a ball and crying. Apparently her power is to kill people with the black oil from The X-Files.

Some miscellaneous guys are in a train yard and are directed to a specific car from a note. They open it up but they don't find cargo. They find Peter Petrelli and he has amnesia. *sighs* I swear to Obi-Wan that if anyone wakes up and this series has been a dream that I'm going to fight someone.

Next week: We find out more about Peter, Sylar, Nikki, Micah and maybe Linderman.

The Number One SciFi Show is Wrestling?

Well slap my ass and call me a Targ. I guess someone at NBC/ Scifi Channel knows what they are doing. I'm still hostile at the idea of wrestling on the Scifi Channel. I'm not write- a- letter- to- the- studio hostile, just whine- on- my- blog hostile. :) When I look at the other shows that are top on this list, I almost want to hang my head in shame. Maneater? Ghost Hunters? Sasquatch Mountain? The Scifi Channel must be doing something right for some people. Congrats?

We Have a New Uhura! ...and Checkov!

Zoe Saldana is Nyota Uhura. They couldn't have picked a better lady. She's of Afro-Dominican descent so she's really adding diversity to the cast. We've seen her in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl as Anamaria. I haven't seen anything else that she's in but I'm sure she'll be fine. Good luck Zoe!

Also... Checkov has been cast! When did this happen? There should have been dancing in the streets! :) Anton Yelchin is Pavel Checkov. We've seen him in "Taken" and "Criminal Minds". He's actually from Russian. Nice!

I also noticed that Leonard Nimoy was listed in the cast. I didn't realize that the original Star Trek cast was going to be in this. I'm willing to bet my year's salary that Shatner is going to hold out to join the cast at the last minute. He's such a Diva.

I'm getting a bit more excited about the project but I'm still too burned by Highlander: The Source to let myself get too excited.

Poll: What Will You Be Watching?

Fall is here and that means TV show premiere time!!! We have returning favorites and shiny new programs. So many new shows look like gems. There are two new sci-fi shows on NBC and they look like they might stick around. Which ones do you think will be worth your time? Which ones will you commit too?

So far my line up is Heroes, Journeyman, Bionic Woman, Dexter, Stargate: Atlantis, Supernatural and BSG:Razor. I might catch up on Smallville but the thought of having to endure Lana Lang gives me hives. :)

TV Show Premiere Listing for 9/21/07

Courtesy of sftv.org

Chuck (NBC)                         Sep 24  (Series Debut)
Heroes (NBC)                        Sep 24  (Season Two)
Journeyman (NBC)                    Sep 24  (Series Debut)
CSI: Miami (CBS)                    Sep 24  (Season Six)
The Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC/CBBC) Sep 24 (Series Debut)
Reaper (The CW)                     Sep 25  (Series Debut)
Bionic Woman (NBC)                  Sep 26  (Series Debut)
CSI:NY (CBS)                        Sep 26  (Series Debut)
Ghost Hunters (SciFi)               Sep 26  (Season 3 Resumes)
Haunted (SciFI)                     Sep 26  (SciFi Debut)
CSI (CBS)                           Sep 27  (Season Eight)
Smallville (The CW)                 Sep 27  (Season Seven)
Ghost Whisperer (CBS)               Sep 28  (Season Three)
Moonlight (CBS)                     Sep 28  (Series Debut)
Numb3rs (CBS)                       Sep 28  (Season Three)
Stargate Atlantis (SciFi)           Sep 28  (Season Four)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)          Sep 30  (Season Four)
Dexter (Showtime)                   Sep 30  (Season Two)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)               Oct  3  (Series Debut)
Supernatural (The CW)               Oct  4  (Season Three)
Robin Hood (BBC1)                   Oct  6  (Season Two)
Blood Ties (Lifetime)               Oct 12  (Season One Resumes)
Battlestar Galactica: Razor (SciFi) Nov 24  (Movie/Special debut)

Take the Nerd Test

zOMG!!! Wii Enable Lightsaber!!!

The world is being blessed with a WiiSaber. I heard about this news on CNet's Buzz Out Loud Podcast #564. I was on my work commute and almost needed to pull the car over to jump for joy. Since I was on the freeway, I decided it was a good idea to stay in my car. I settled for screaming and giggling at the steering wheel while people in the cars next to me gave me looks.

I've been feeling blue lately. I determined that I need something to stand in line for again. Star Wars movies aren't being produced anymore. Lord of the Rings is over. The iPhone just didn't do it for me. George Lucas must have felt this disturbance in the Force and thought to himself, "SciFi Ranter Girl just isn't "GIRLIE SQUEALING ^TM" like she used to. Let me approve a Wii- enabled Lightsaber. I know this will make her day."

!!!!GIRLIE SQUEAL!!!!
Thank you Uncle George!!! I can't wait to take off work and stand in line for this. Who's with me?

Highlander: The Source - Worse Than Mansquito

I've been dreading writing the review for Highlander: The Source. I really didn't want to do a lengthy review because the movie doesn't deserve it. I have to say that I went in wanting to like. I did give it a fair chance. If first year film students worked on this, then it was amazing. If not... grab a barf bag.

The movie would have been decent if it weren't for the big bad who was stupidly named The Guardian. The Guardian had to be the worst character ever. Let's just say that The Guardian is the Jar-Jar Binks of Highlander: The Source. He looked like he was from the ECW and had the same type of sense of humor. (GIVE IT UP SCIFI CHANNEL!!! I'M NOT WATCHING WRESTLING!!!) He was not scary, just annoying. I'm not sure who thought his style was great but it wasn't or I just didn't get it. I'm betting on "he just sucks".

The reason why this movie exists is because there was some impossible planetary alignment. (An alignment that you can see happening with the naked eye on ground level with big bulbous planets. That made me wonder if the whole movie was on another planet. Whatever...) This alignment meant that The Source of all Highlanders was going to be revealed. The one that got to The Source and remained pure of heart would rule them all? I guess that was the plot.

The story drops in on Duncan Macleod. He's depressed and moping around. (He reminded me of Angel.) We find out that he had to break up with his girlfriend because she wanted to have kids. Highlanders are like vampires in that they can't have kids. Some how his girlfriend becomes the central focus because she has visions that will lead them all to The Source. They gather a gang of Highlanders to look for The Source. They are told that the closer that they get to The Source the more human they become. Because of this, The Guardian picks them off one by one. We have to endure some weird, cheesy, fast motion special effects. There was sex at some point. There was a show down. After he defeats The Guardian, Duncan realizes that he's better than The Guardian and won't kill him. This act kills The Guardian. Duncan's girl friend realizes she's pregnant and they both kiss in a ball of glowing light.

The End.

I want those two hours back. I want the time that I blogged this back.

Eureka: Maneater

Eureka: Maneater

(Oh-oh, here she comes) Watch out boy she'll chew you up
(Oh-oh, here she comes) She's a maneater

I couldn't resist. :)

Eureka has a utilities system that resembles the human digestive system. The air conditioning, plumbing, lights and water are all hooked up to one network. The regular maintence guy is missing and the system starts to malfunction. Because everything is connected, one failing piece of the network means that others will also eventually fail. If that wasn't enough, some ancient pheromone bacteria gets on Jack and every woman in the town "wants" him. The ticking clock on this episode is to fix the utilities before the town blows. We also find out that if the pheromone doesn't dissipate that women will eventually turn violent towards Jack. To make matters worse, there is a chance that the pheromone will be released into the ventilation. This means that every man in Eureka will become irrisistible (they already are because scientists are sexy) but it also means that every woman in Eureka will eventually try to kill them and eat them for food.

When the mysterious powder was first introduced I immediately thought about Star Trek, Spock and This Side of Paradise. Spores that make you fall in love/lust. Not entirely original but I loved the way it was presented. Eureka is a show that takes some of the classic, widely- used science fiction themes but spins them in a really fresh and new way.

I was impressed with the digestive system utilities network. I love the clever things in this town but it always seems like the scientists are air heads. When things go wrong in Eureka, they go WAY wrong. They've almost had to evacuate the town 3 times this season. I'm beginning to wonder about about them. They must be book smart but not common sense smart. :)

At the end of the episode, Allison gives Nathan access to The Artifact. He isn't supposed to be in there because he doesn't have official clearance anymore. His access means that Henry gets locked out. Henry is pissed. This isn't going to end well. Nathan is convinced that if he has access, he can use the Artifact research to help solve the issue with Kevin, Allison's son.

Next week: Mega Snake's Michael Shanks. :P

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.

Let's take a look at why I thought this. Shawn's brother Danny and his mother Susan are both dead. Isabelle is dead. Evil Tom is dead. Rebecca Parish is dead. Steven Ira Behr, the executive produce was in the crowd cheering as Jordan Collier came to power. They usually reserve stuff like that for series finales.

The story was great but it seemed accelerated by Danny's 4400 ability. He was able to spread promicin like an infection and infecting everyone at will. This means that everyone in Seattle either died or got a power. This is exactly what Jordan Collier wanted. We got no real foreshadowing of this specific event. We got foreshadowing about the coming of a god. I remember something about time traveling that never really got fleshed out. The evil marked people storyline still confuses me. There were a lot of threads that were introduced that never went anywhere.

I'm glad we wrapped up the Evil Tom story. The way they got the midichl.... nanites out of his system was that they flooded him with radiation and made Shawn bring him back to life. Clever!

The cool payoffs to this episode is the powers that were revealed by the people who survived. Megan can turn metal into flowers. Jed can assimilate people and turn them into him. Not sure if this is just a projection but it is hilarious. The geekgasm is that Marco can teleport himself. (Do all geek boys want to have teleportation powers? :)

All in all, this was great writing and very nice story arc. The story was fresh and unpredictable which is why this show succeeds in my eyes. Some of the extreme wrapping up of story lines distracted me because it started to feel like the stuff cancellations are made of. I hope I read too much into the episode and I look forward to seeing The 4400 next season.

Sci-Fi Emmy Results

The Sopranos took it all. The only sci-fi-ish show that was represented is Lost. Terry O'Quinn who plays Locke on ABC's Lost when home with the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

The Sopranos is over so maybe Heroes will have a chance next year.

Science Fiction Emmy Round-up

The Emmy Awards are on TV tonight and there are a lot science fiction shows nominated in various categories. Heroes and Lost were both popular. They both were represented in 3 different categories.

Here is a run down:

Outstanding Drama Series:
Heroes
---Up against things like The Sopranos, Boston Legal and Grey's Anatomy. I'm hoping for the best but those other shows are REALLY popular with the people who watch them.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Kiefer Sutherland - 24
---I've stopped watching 24. When the president start to say things like "What Would Jack Bauer Do", I got a little turned off. I couldn't suspend my belief anymore.

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:
Patricia Arquette - Medium
---It was too hard to watch this show for me. It came on at the same time as something else and I got tired of fighting for the remote. Damned good show though...

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series:
Terry O'Quinn - Lost
Masi Oka - Heroes
William Shatner - Boston Legal
---WHOA! This is intense! I'm really interested in the outcome. I know "The Shat" is not in a science fiction show but I didn't have the heart to leave him out.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie:
William H. Macy - Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King. This was an amazing story. I'm impressed that was nominated. To recap for you...

Umney's Last Case
Starring William H. Macy, Jacqueline McKenzie
Teleplay by April Smith, based on the short story by Stephen King; directed by Rob Bowman
After the death of his son, writer Sam Landry (Macy) is so desperate to lead another life, he writes himself into his own book, forcing his long-time character (also played by Macy) to change places with him and live in the modern day. But things get deadly when Landry realizes Umney is trapped and cannot write himself out of his new reality.

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series:
Battlestar Galactica "Exodus" (I guess it's for both episodes because it was a two-parter)
Heroes "Genesis" (Pilot)
Lost "Through the Looking Glass"(Finale: I guess it's for both episodes because it was a two-parter)
---I'm really interested to see what the other shows in this category had to offer. These three episodes were stellar. If I had to choose one it would be the BSG one. It was so clever and I think it made me cry.... I think Lost made me cry too.... Ok, they all probably made me cry at some point. :P

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series:
Battlestar Galactica "Occupation/ Precipice"
Lost "Through the Looking Glass"
---This episode is represented twice. It would be a shame if it didn't win something.

Fun Mention: Outstanding Reality/Competition Program:
Project Runway - Someone is always making something so crazy that someone mentions Star Trek. I think Vincent Libretti was accused of that.

The 59th Annual Emmy Awards air tonight Saturday, September 16 @ 7/8 c on FOX.

Rumors on the Internet: Wolverine Movie

from scifi.com:
Wolverine Film To Shoot Soon?

TheXverse reported a rumor that the upcoming X-Men spinoff film about Wolverine is slated to begin shooting as soon as November in Sydney, with Hugh Jackman reprising his most famous role.

Citing unnamed sources, the site reported that the as-yet-untitled Wolverine film is moving forward following the recent confirmation of Gavin Hood as the project's director.

The three X-Men movies have been filmed in Vancouver, Canada.

Ohhhhh.... Hugh Jackman. I can't wait for this movie. I must admit that I wasn't WOWed by X-Men 3 but I'm really looking forward to a Wolverine specific movie. They are shooting in Sydney as opposed to Vancouver. Does this mean they have a bigger budget? I wonder what angle they are going with in this movie. Any wishes or hopes for the plot of this movie?

Zachary Quinto is to Spock as ??? is to Kirk

Of course Zachary Quinto playing the role of Spock isn't news to any of us sci-fi geeks but I have to ask THE question. Can Zachary Quinto help make Star Trek cool again? I think so... I hope so.

He's been making his interest in this project known. He's even been hanging out with Leonard Nimoy. I wish all actors were this dedicated. Let's face it, any actor who touches Star Trek is immortalized in the eyes of the fans forever. He'll be in the official encyclopedia, have posters out the wazoo, trading cards, action figures... hell, even a plushie toy. It also takes him from TV to film which always a good step for an actor.

Quinto as Spock mean this next Star Trek film is going in the right direction. If we can get James Kyson Lee as Sulu, Sanaa Lathan as Uhura, Paul McGillion as Scotty and ... hmmmm.... who would play Chekov? Most importantly, who will play Kirk? I'm not opposed to Matt Damon. I was against the idea at first but his performance in The Departed convinced me that he would be able to handle the role.

I'm starting to warm up to this next Star Trek film.

The 4400: Tiny Machines

The 4400: Tiny Machines

This episode is a prime example of why I'm loving The 4400 this season. I know I keep going on about not knowing where this show is going but I can't stress how important that is. So many sci-fi shows *coughs*Flash Gordon*cough* get lazy and rely on a predictable format and stale, reused plots. The only thing that bored me about this episode is that the totally midicholrianed Evil Tom Baldwin. We learn that the marked people have been infected with nanotechnology. This means that they can be cured and restored. (I still don't remember seeing these episodes that introduced the marked people and I swear that I've seen every episode of The 4400.)

Tom's character went all out this episode. All pretenses were dropped and he showed his true colors. He even went so far as to inject Maya with the promicin inhibitor. She's not permanently rid of her 4400 ability but it's still a scary thought. Near the end, Diane and Tom get into a shoot out. Diane shoots Tom. (don't worry, it was a gut wound) A lethal dose of radiation will get the nanobugs out of him but it will also kill him... if the gunshots don't do that first.

Sean and Tess brakes Dr. Burkhoff out of the Promised City so that he can continue his research. With her powers restored, Isabelle was returned to Promised City to abduct Jordan Collier. She brought him to Evil Tom and Jordan will become one of the marked. His mission is to render all 4400 normal again. It will totally ruin his "movement".

It doesn't stop there, Sean's brother Danny takes the promicin shot against Sean's wishes. It turns out that Sean got a healing ability but Danny might have a disease- giving ability. I'm already bored with the "I told you so" speech Sean is going to have to give Danny. I wonder if they will have to exterminated Danny. His mother looks like his first victim. If he can't control his new powers they might have to kill him to stop him. This won't end well for Danny.

Eureka: God is in the Details

Eureka has been smitten with Revelations- type Biblical events. I was really excited to see how a science heavy show would treat religion. I liked this episode for so many reasons. It did not insult the beliefs of religious people and it stuck to a scientific outcome.

There's a new church in Eureka. Shortly after the pastor complains that she isn't getting as many people in the church as she'd like biblical events start to manifest themselves in the town. Zoe loses her ability to speak, Allison starts glowing like an angel, fish water turns red and the whole town goes dark. People start to suspect that something religious going on.

There were some great lines in this episode. I loved the mention that Global Dynamics may be over a Hellmouth. Jo's new boyfriend holding his breath until she talks to him. Jo mentioning she owns a grenade launcher. (Good to see I'm not the only female that thinks grenade launchers are hot!)

This episode shines with the explanation of the "religious" events. Teryl Rothery was our mad scientist of the week. She was so grief stricken at the loss of her husband that she was trying to create a portal to heaven so that she could join him. Not to sound harsh but it sounded like a really nerdy means to commit suicide. The side effect of the portal was infrasonic frequencies and it's reactions with different elements it encountered. This is was what was going on in the town, nothing mystical. We discover that if the portal is shut down, the incidents would stop happening and its effects would reverse. It's a bit of a happy, typical ending but I liked it.

The twist of this episode was Kevin and his "abilities". Nathan seems to think that Kevin's powers healed Allison. What I saw was Allison getting better when the portal was shut down. I'm still not convinced about Kevin having any powers yet. They'll have to develop that a bit more for me to buy it.

Next week: Jack becomes a chick magnet. This is going to be hilarious.

September 11th and Science Fiction

I'm one of those people who do not handle remembering September 11th well. I don't have family in New York nor do I really know anyone there. I don't think you have to have that in order to still be saddened by this event. I'm not sure why but that day I felt like this country not only lost people but something else that I can't quite put my finger on.

Every year, I always think of two science fiction pieces that will forever be associated with this event in my mind.

When I first heard about the attacks, I thought of the pilot episode of The Lone Gunmen. Having seen that episode prior to the attacks and having the real life events mirror that episode so closely doesn't sit well. When you are young, conspiracy theories are fun but to have a science fiction scenario play out before your eyes like some sort of premonition is unsettling.

The second thing I thought of was Independence Day. Remember the scenes when the aliens first started destroying the cities and the debris clouds that rounded the buildings were so powerful that it consumed everyone one in its path? When I watched the attacks on the news the destruction was almost identical to me. I was amazed and horrified at how damned good the ID4 special effects team were.

When we watch these types of stories most of us hope to never see it play out in real life. I my guess thinking about these things is a way to detach from the horror of 9/11.

SciFi Channel Re-Imagines Wizard of Oz

Someone, somewhere at the SciFi Channel has a big, massive balls. Re-imagining the classic and much loved Wizard of Oz is a little arrogant especially given SciFi Original's track record. Some of the movies are stellar but a lot of them disappoint.

Tin Man is "a modern re-imagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on the Sci Fi Channel". That is Wikipedia's description of Tin Man. I read the plot on Wikipedia and it seems the the basic story will be the same but there are things that are way different from the original 1939 movie. I think the differences will be enough for viewers to accept this project as it's own entity. It's also probably best to keep in mind that this isn't a re-make.

Another thing that eases my concerns about this movie is the cast. When I saw that Alan Cumming was on the cast list, I was elated. The first stand out thing that I remember him in is Titus. He was amazing in that film. He was also Nightcrawler in X-Men 2. Next for drooling is Neal McDonough. He was in Star Trek: First Contact and Minority Report. Zooey Deschanel played Trillian in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie. Richard Dryfus will play The Wizard of Oz.

I'm going to stifle my expectations and hope that this is as fun as it sounds.Tin premieres sometime in December 2007.

TinMan @ SciFi.com

SciFi Channel Brings Back Highlander

Since the dawn of time, the Immortals have walked among us. No one has ever known the origin of their power... until now.

I swear if someone mentions anything like midichlorians in this movie I am going to slit my wrist.

I must admit that when I saw that The SciFi Channel was giving The Highlander its "Original" treatment, I was afraid. I promised myself that before I judged further that I'd look on the website to get an idea of what they were doing. When I saw that Adrian Paul was going to reprise his role as Duncan MacLeod, I got a little excited. Adrian is the same guy that was the star of Highlander: The Series and star in the painfully abysmal Highlander: Endgame. (I still want my money back for that one because I still feel physical pain when I think of it.)

Why am going to watch this when there is a good chance that it will suck? I used to watch Highlander: The Series and Highlander: The Raven and I actually enjoyed them both. Seeing Adrian Paul's face is nostalgic. I guess I'm interested to see what SciFi is going to do with it. Sometimes they hit and sometimes they miss. That and everyone should know by now that I'm a glutton for punishment when it comes to science fiction TV shows.

You can catch Highlander: The Source Saturday, September 15, 2007 @ 9/8C and 11/10C on the SciFi Channel.

Highlander: The Source @ The SciFi Channel
Official Highlander: The Source Website
Highlander: The Source @ Wikipedia

Veggies That Are Bad For You

A TRIBUTE TO H.R. GIGER AND GIUSEPPE ARCIMBOLDO

In November 2006 Till Nowak created the image "Salad". For this image he created 12 digital vegetable models in 3ds max using photographic references. They were combined to become a tribute to the fantastic biomechanical creations of H.R. Giger and the vegetable portraits of Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

The Diffuser is The Superhero

I guess I wasn't paying attention because I didn't realize the two-hour finale was going to be aired last night.
...and yes, I cried like this was on the Lifetime Channel.

In the first part of the episode, the team had to battle attack dogs and cut the power to stop Gigantic Evil Stan Lee^TM. The Diffuser reigned supreme in this challenge. Hygena sacrificed herself as bait and Hyperstrike covered the most ground. As a reward, they all got action figures of themselves. All three of them were squealing like school girls. :)

After that, they had to conquer "the media". This challenge was about them not giving out too much information. They all sang like birds. There were no clear losers in this episode. I was really stuck on trying to figure out who would be eliminated. I guess Stan Lee felt the same because he did not eliminate anyone at the end of the first part. Honestly, it was the only decision he *could* make.

At the beginning of the second part of the finale', the heroes were approached by Balls Mahoney of the ECW. I had to giggle at that. It seems that someone found a way to justify the ECW's existence on The SciFi Channel. (It'll take a lot more than that for me to watch "teh wrasslin' ". ...and what was up with the eSurance commercials? They are well done but intrusive. I couldn't decide if I liked the Who Wants to be a Superhero tie in or not.) Anyhoo... the heroes learn to fight and I must say that they do make a great team. After that great display of team work, I couldn't tell who Stan Lee was going to eliminate. All of them were heroic. Unlike Fat Momma, Hygena was graceful in her flying scenes. Hyperstrike was perfect. The Diffuser is too manly to fly. They should keep that 110% man on the ground.

Stan Lee still had a difficult decision to make and it was the interviews that were the deciding factor for me. In comparison to Hygena and The Diffuser, I hate to say this but Hyperstrike had the weakest interview. I'd been concerned about not really knowing him or being able to get inside his head the whole time. He's a great showman but I needed more.

Hygena... wow! She has revealed so much about herself and her life on this show. I wouldn't be able to do that or the bugs. Is it easy for her to talk about these things? Her grace makes it looks like it but it couldn't have been. She's one tough cookie. I agree with everyone else, I thought she was already a mother. I wish her luck if she decides to try again. (((hugs)))

The Diffuser's interview did it for me. There were two things he said that were key in him being picked. When he talked about his family life as a child, he mentioned something about wishing to be able to take the heroes out of the pages of comic books to come and help him in his life. A lot of people wish this but it was the way he said it that was moving. The second thing he said was the deal sealer. He said that he chose a career in law enforcement because it was the closest thing to a comic book hero that he could be. He wanted to be that hero for next kid needing a hero off of the pages of a comic book. That did it for me. That and he's man enough to wear a Jedi costume. :)

I'd also like to say that Stan Lee did a marvelous job with the eliminations. They made sense and I could see the logic in why he eliminated someone each week. With most shows, I can't ever follow why some people get kicked off the show but it was really clear this season. He also had a sense of humor about the whole thing because he cast himself as the bad guy in several episodes. Gigantic Evil Stan Lee^TM cracks me up every time and he was really into it! What a great sport.

This was a very fun season for this show. I'm not sure why it's not more popular especially among comic book readers. It is an interesting experiment to take everyday people and make them into superheroes. It made me think about being more heroic to others in my life. A lot of people can be witty on the internet but how many of us has what it takes to put themselves out there and truly be a superhero?

Rumors on the Internets: Flash Gordon

Michael Hinman of SyFy Portal is reporting that Flash Gordon won't be renewed for a second season. He doesn't have an confirmation yet but I'd say that he is dead on. People didn't respond to Flash Gordon well and the numbers aren't there. A lot of people were unhappy about not responding to the series well because they really wanted to like it. Everyone saw this coming. Maybe someone else can give Flash Gordon another try in 5 - 10 years.

Eureka: Sight Unseen

Eureka: Sight Unseen

After last week's stupid scientists tricks episode, I was a bit skeptical about this week's invisible man episode. I was impressed with the handling of the invisibility theme. The science of it was glossed over but the episode was still enjoyable. I liked the mention of the moon rocks and how people that think they've seen moon rocks have seen fake ones. My problem with the moon rocks is that they seemed to make a big deal out of them at the beginning of the episode only to drop it. Also, on first look, this episode seems like a filler. It was and wasn't. We find out more about Allison's son and how he was changed. Henry reveals what he know about Kim's death to Nathan and gives him the evidence. I think this will bite Henry in that cute bum of his but this was a HUGE step in the story. Zoe drives alone for her first time and has a passionate kiss with a guy from class. Sure Lupo throws him in the clink for it but it was worth it. It was mentioned in earlier articles that the Nathan/Allison/Jack love triangle was going to have a definite conclusion at the end of this season. I think the first appearance of Callie as Jack's new love interest is the beginning of the end for the Allison/Jack thing. Callie's introduction felt a bit forced but I like her. There was a lot of information to process in this episode. Next to all of those developments, the invisibility theme seemed like a B story.

Next week: Eureka hit by a biblical plague? Science and religion. This ought to be good.

Lipstick Aliens #49 We're Going on Hiatus; TV Show Predictions

Direct download: 049_lipstick_aliens.mp3

Lynne and Cat say goodbye for now but before they leave they give some TV show predictions for Who Wants to be a Superhero, The 4400, Sanctuary, Masters of Science Fiction, Flash Gordon, Eureka, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Bionic Woman, Heroes, Stargate: Atlantis and Farscape.

We'd like to thank you for your voicemails, emails and comments this past year. We've enjoyed every bit of it!!!


You can contact Lynne at
http://lynne.libsyn.com/

You can contact Cat at
http://twitter.com/scifirantergirl


CONTACT INFO
lips *at* lipstickaliens *dot* com

206-338-LIPS (206-338-5477)

http://www.myspace.com/lipstickaliens

Direct download: 049_lipstick_aliens.mp3

Doctor Who Going on Holiday in 2009?

BBC reveals Doctor Who 'gap year'

When I heard that the BBC was not going to give us any new Torchwood this year, I thought it was irregular but I figured that it was a new series so it was having some growing pains. Today, it was revealed that Doctor Who will be going on a break in 2009 but will return in 2010? WHY??? The show is popular. The cash should be flowing in? Just when I started to get impressed with BBC programming they go and pull something like this. I guess if Doctor Who has been around for 27 years, it can handle this? I'm sure fans won't loose interest but the show is insanely hot right now. Why let it cool off? This feels like a bad move.

Thanks to Charles Cadenhead for the heads up on this.

OT: Big Love - A Look At Polygamy

Polygamy.

There are people actually practicing it here in the United States. Live a little and you will meet all sorts of people and it takes all kind to make the world go around.

Big Love seems like a Leave It To Beaver depiction of polygamy but unexpectedly fascinating. Who would have known that a story about an illegal and questionable way of life would be so captivating? This show is so well written and if unrealistic, it still approaches the subject with a dignity and humor that leaves you thinking. This show reminds me that there is so much that I don't know about the world and relationships. Polygamy is not right for me but makes me wonder if any one way of life is the right way.

The actors in this show do an amazing job. The writers steer you away from the elephant in the room and make you care about the individual characters and all of their triumphs and struggles. I still feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone when I watch this show but it keeps me coming back for more.

Big Love @ HBO
Big Love @ Wikipedia

Re-Make Fatigue: Another Dune Movie?

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want something NEW!!!! I am SO sick of re-makes!!!! I want this to remain a rumor. The original movie still holds up and the SciFi Channel did an amazing job with it. That's it! give it 15 more years please.

I vote no for a Dune re-make. The only reason I say no is because what else can they do with it? Are they going to re-tell or re-imagine the story again?

Dune Film Rumor Emerges

Masters of Science Fiction: The Discarded

Masters of Science Fiction: The Discarded

I was both repulsed and fascinated by this episode of Masters of Science Fiction. When this episode opened, I got a strong Deep Space Nine vibe. I have been missing the look of a TV show with a theatrical set and make-up type feel. The work done on this episode was magnificent. It looked like it was expensive and some care was taken to make the set look "just-so". As hideous as the characters were, the make-up was astounding. The CGI in this episode was seamless.

This was a Harlan Ellison story. It was a very sad tale of people who had a blood infection and were discarded into space. People of Earth eventually needed their blood to stop the infection on Earth. In exchange, the "discarded" were promised to be taken back home. They were used, double crossed and brought more discarded people from Earth then left to float alone in space.

This is one of those stories that is so sad and depressing that it can be confused with being a bad episode. The message was so strong and the predicament of these people was so extreme that it would be easy to be turned off by this episode. I thought the acting was spectacular and it has to be my favorite in the series.

Masters of Science Fiction on ABC.com
Official Masters of Science Fiction Website