Martian Outpost

It’s like a knife being driven through my heart! I just found out that Jericho has been canceled and will not be brought back to CBS for a third season. It is almost as bad as when FireFly was canceled, but not quite. Although there aren’t laser beams or spaceships, I consider anything post-apocalyptic to be great Sci-Fi. Look at Mad Max!

Although the TV show has been officially canceled, it would seem that there may be a second life on cable. According to the Carol Barbee, Executive Producer of the show, it may be back. She is quoted as saying on the SciFi channels official Web site:

Carol Barbee, executive producer of CBS’ canceled post-apocalyptic series Jericho, told SCI FI Wire that talks are ongoing to find the show another home, perhaps on a cable network.

“I can’t really say [much] about specifics, and, … partially, it’s because I’m not the one having those conversations,” Barbee said in an interview on March 24, the eve of the show’s final episode. “[CBS] Paramount [Television, which produces the show,] has been pursing it, and our agents have been into that, so, you know, I am pushing those people and coming up with ideas to have those people pursue.”

She goes on to say:

If Jericho is not picked up for another season by a TV network, Barbee said that she could envision it living on in some other form. “There’s definitely an Internet series to be had, and we always talked about a graphic novel, and … a movie,” Barbee said. “I mean, there are lots of things that I could easily see as a way to continue the story.”

I argue that there is no better cable channel for this show than the SciFi channel. The writer of the article at SciFi.com, Patrick Lee, says:

(Fans wishing to write SCI FI Channel about picking Jericho up should NOT use the scifiwire@scifi.com e-mail address, but rather should send snail mail here: SCI FI Channel, 21st Floor, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112.)

Let’s make sure this show goes on another season! Be sure to write, I know I will.

Even though I am a Yank, I have always been a big fan of the British music scene. My all-time favorite rock band is Depeche Mode. I’m also a big fan of Europop music.

About a year ago I was listening to a song on the radio that I decided I had to buy. I tracked down the artist and discovered it was Starlight by Muse. I then went and purchased the album entitled “Black Holes and Revelations.” I really enjoyed the album. I did some research and discovered that the band wasn’t really “new” and had several previously-released albums.

My wife was kind enough to purchase me the even better (IMHO) album Absolution. I have since purchased Showbiz which is a great album as well. How does this tie into SciFi? I was on YouTube a few days ago and decided to watch some Muse music videos. That is when I came across the video for Sing for Absolution. It is a beautifully produced music video that is SciFi in every respect.

SciFi not only spawns great books, movies, video games and TV, but it also produces some great music. I enjoy sitting down and listening to The Matrix while relaxing or popping in some John Williams “Star Wars” while driving down the road. I have often thought to myself who some of the best composers would be if I had to come up with a list.

I certainly like John Williams. He has written some great music and nobody can forget all the great Star Wars music he wrote. I would have to say that his best album, in my humble opinion, is “The Empire Strikes Back.” This also tops my list of best SciFi movies ever.

Jerry Goldsmith is a genius with his Star Trek themes. Who can’t listen to his music and not imagine soaring through space in the U.S.S. Enterprise? There are many musical geniuses out there.
I could continue this list for some time, but I would like to say that my all-time favorite composer is James Horner. You may know him from the Star Trek II or Willow soundtracks. One album you may not be familiar with, which I think is his best, is the soundtrack to Krull. The London Symphony Orchestra is amazing. I know, Krull could be considered fantasy fiction, but I consider it to be SciFi as well.

I originally purchased the Southern Cross version of Krull in the 1990s. Although a great compilation, it was only one disk and lacked many great scores from the movie. About a year ago I managed to pick up the full two-disk version put out by Super Tracks. This is the most rare and complete version available. I got it at for a steal at $45. Since all versions of the Krull soundtrack are no longer available, it isn’t uncommon to find this album going for over 100 dollars. Can you believe that?

Although you cannot buy the album, you can find torrents for the album. Although I do not condone downloading music through torrents, what can you do in this case? You can also listen to tracks on YouTube. Please listen for yourself. It is great!