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Jericho Canceled! Second Life On Cable?
Mar 25th
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.
One Great SciFi Music Video – Muse: Sing For Absolution
Mar 23rd
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.
James Horner – Krull Best SciFi Soundtrack Ever Composed
Mar 19th
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!
The Sarah Connor Chronicles – Season One Too Short!
Feb 28th
I have been religiously watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles with much delight. I have been surprised how good it has been. I didn’t have much hope after watching the first two episodes, but it has gotten pretty good. The special effects aren’t half bad for a TV production. It has been especially fun seeing Summer Glau play Cameron. I really enjoyed watching her as River Tam in Firefly.
After watching the latest episode last week, the preview said that the season finale is this week! That would make only 12 episodes for the season. I know the show is in it’s first season and I’m sure there is a little risk there for he network, but the show is currently pulling in good ratings. The premier of the show was the best new show opening in three years according to Variety.
Do you remember when Sci-Fi shows had at least a dozen episodes in a season? Star Trek the Next Generation was showing episodes in the 20s per season. I can’t imagine a short season is good for maintaining interest in a show. Perhaps the writers’ strike cut the season down. I can’t find much on why the season is so short. I’m feeling good about a season two, but there are rumors that this is still up in the air.
Regardless of the season being short, I will be certain to watch the two-hour season finally. It looks pretty good. I suppose we may all find out more information at that time as to the future of the show.
Firefly To Be Released On Blu-Ray?
Feb 26th
The HD format war appear to be over and Blu-Ray has come out victorious. Toshiba has thrown in the towel and HDDVD is going the way of the dinosaurs. That happened sooner than I thought! After hearing about Paramount signing a huge contract with Toshiba, I thought the format wars would go on for a few more years.
I think this is a good thing though, especially for science fiction / SciFi. People can finally settle on one format and movie publishers can now feel comfortable in releasing content in HD. This got me to thinking about several Sci-Fi TV shows that would look great in HD.
The first series that comes to mind is Firefly. I am one of the many fans that discovered and grew to love the show after it had already been canceled. Oh how I wish I could have seen it on TV while the series was still running. Perhaps I could have helped keep it on TV! 
Anyway, Firefly would look great in HD. I have checked several sources and can safely say there is no release date yet for this show to come out on Blu-Ray. I will be sure to let you know as soon as it happens. Amazon.com is allowing you to sign up and be notified as soon as it becomes available.
The movie adaptation Serenity was put out on HDDVD. I still haven’t purchased an HD player yet, but will now certainly purchase a Blu-Ray player. I hope Serenity will soon be released on Blu-Ray as well. I’m sure it will eventually happen. Now it is only a question of when.
I found a good forum over at FireflyFans.net talking about this very thing. Go take a look!
Star Trek MMORG Now Dead – Must Have Been Wearing A Red Shirt
Feb 25th
It seems that the much awaited Star Trek MMORPG is dead. I just read that Perpetual Entertainment, also known as P2 Entertainment, has closed its doors. According to the site WarCry.com, they have closed their doors and their projects.
This is unfortunate news for Sci-Fi geeks like me who consider themselves Trekkies and would love a Star Trek MMORPG. The Perpetual Entertainment site no longer features any of their projects and appears to display a static page.
Hopefully somebody else will take on this project. We need to have a Star Trek MMORPG!
John Cho Has Takei’s Blessing
Feb 25th
I like to swing by SciFi.com every so often and read what’s going on in their Sci Fi Wire. They often have some good articles there from time to time.Being a sci-fi junkie, I thought it was fun and interesting to see that George Takei gave John Cho his blessing before taking the roll of Hikaru Sulu.
The article goes on to quote John Cho as saying:
“I had lunch with George before we started filming,” Cho said. “I wrote him a letter, and we met, and he gave me what amounted to a blessing, and in his typically classy way, … I told him I was nervous, and he said, ‘Relax. Pretty soon people are going to refer to me as the guy who played the old version of John Cho.’”
I think it is pretty cool that John Cho takes feels it important to pay tribute to the original character. So far I think the cast for the new Star Trek XI looks like a great bunch. Many of them are excellent actors. If Star Trek XI ends up doing well in the box office, I’m sure there is room for more movies. I will certainly be there in line buying tickets!
New Trailer For Adywan’s Empire Strikes Back Revisited!
Feb 17th
Many of you have probably heard of Star Wars The Phantom Edit. The Phantom Edit is a fan edited version of The Phantom Menace. Why edit the movie? Because many of you have the talents and abilities to do so. Many people didn’t like Star Wars Episode I, so they have since edited the movie the way they like it, usually featuring less Jar Jar.
While tracking down some fan edits of The Phantom Menace (after watching Star Wars Episode I – The Rise of the Sith by Slumberland) I came across what I consider to be the best fan edited movie I have ever seen. The guy goes by the name Adywan. I learned about this guy while visiting the forums at originaltrilogy.com.
This guy created his own edit of Star Wars A New Hope named Star Wars Revisited. He has re-edited scenes, added music, added planets and many special effects. The end battle scene at the death star is stunning. I highly recommend that you torrent Star Wars Revisited and watch it for yourself. I got mine in xvid format at mininova.org. I would like to state, however, that you should legally own a copy of Star Wars ANH before downloading the torrent. Who doesn’t?
You can see a trailer for Star Wars Revisited here:
I just came across a new trailer for Empire Strikes Back Revisited. There is also a forum discussing the new edit you can find here. My hopes are pretty high for this one and I am certain the quality will be just as good, if not better, than Star Wars Revisited. Adywan, you’re a bloody genius!
Empire Strikes Back Revisited Trailer:
In Search Of The Force? Try The Jedi Church!
Jan 27th
Those Brits sure come up with some fun and interesting stuff. Can you believe that in the 2001 British census 390,000 people claimed “Jedi” as their religion! Obviously Star Wars is a lot more than just a movie to some people. Not only do people claim Jedi as there religion, but they practice it on a regular basis as an official religion.Jedi also appears to be 70,000 Australians’ religion of choice as well. This means that one in 270 Australians consider the force to be their official religion. According to the BBC:
An e-mail was sent around the world in 2001 saying that if 10,000 people declared they were Jedi, it would be recognised as an official religion.
But the Australian Bureau of Statistics said it would be categorised as “not defined”.
Thousands of people in New Zealand and the UK also followed the advice of the e-mail – with Jedi Knight even being included on the list of religions by UK census authorities.
The BBC recently had an article on Jedi worshipers in Britain. In the article they interviewed. The article covered Barney and Daniel who go by the names Master Jonba Hehol and Master Morda Hehol.
According to the article both Barny and Daniel are trying to increase their numbers and want fellow worshipers to join them in worship close to their home on Anglesey. If I’m ever in Wales I’ll have to stop by and take a look.
Their church activities include sermons on “The Force,” light saber training and meditation techniques.
According to the article:
They plan to go to the official opening of a Surrey-based branch or “chapter” of the UK Church of the Jedi in April, and hope to hire an Anglesey venue for their own services.
Already six followers regularly meet in north Wales to discuss setting up the “church”.
All members are currently men, but women are allowed. Those following the dark side of the force can be expulsed from the church.
This has to be one of the oddest things I have ever heard of.
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