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The SciFi Diner
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Tonight’s Diners: Scott & Miles
Welcome to the Diner. We want your feedback: how are we doing, what can we do differently, what would you like to hear? We what to know! Also the ACC feeds of out podcast are enhanced, which means there are chapters. So if we’re talking about a show you’re not interested in, you can skip ahead.
Show News:
- Thank you for review of movies.
- You can always send us your reviews and thoughts on what we are saying at zogpod@gmail.com or call toll free at 1.888.508.4343.
Tonight’s Agenda: Part 2 of an interview with Michael from NeoFX; if you have watched Star Trek fan films, there is a good chance you’ve seen his work!
For our trivia question for next week:
- Prove your SciFi geekness by answering the following question and earn a chance to win an autographed Maris Brood print. See it here.
- Who is the voice behind Yoda in the Star Wars movies?
- Call us at 1.888.508.4343, e-mail us at zogpod@gmail.com, or contact Scott and Miles on Twitter with your answers!
SciFi News:
Ten Minutes in SciFi TV:
- Defying Gravity – is getting better…..
- Syfy Greenlights Second Season Of ’Warehouse 13 … * Airlock Alpha has picked up word from a number of sources that Syfy
already has commissioned a second season of its breakout new hit “Warehouse 13,” meaning 13 for now and possibly a total of 20 episodes when it’s all said and done for America’s newest favorite Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering.Since its premiere in early July, the same night that SciFi Channel officially changed its name to Syfy, “Warehouse 13″ has been a ratings winner for the network. The most recent episode that aired Aug. 18 pulled in nearly 3.3 million viewers. That’s slightly below the 3.5 million viewers who tuned in for the initial premiere, which was the third largest debut ever recorded on the channel behind “Stargate: Atlantis” in 2004 and “Eureka” in 2006.NBC Universal, the parent company of Syfy, officially announced the renewal through Variety, but bringing “Warehouse 13″ back for a second season has already been pretty much a foregone conclusion.Part of the creative team of “Warehouse 13″ was Jane Espenson, best known to many genre fans for her work in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Firefly” and “Battlestar Galactica.” Espenson is now the showrunner for the upcoming Syfy series “Caprica,” the “Battlestar” prequel that is set to premiere in January on the network.
“Warehouse 13″ already is averaging a stronger audience than Syfy’s other high-rated show, “Eureka,” which is averaging about 2.5 million viewers per episode. The success of shows such as “Warehouse 13″ and “Eureka” has helped Syfy justify its move toward more “grounded” series, and moving away from more expensive space-faring shows such as “Battlestar.”
While “Caprica” is yet another grounded series coming to the schedule, Syfy isn’t shying away from shows set in space. The highly anticipated “Stargate: Universe” is set to premiere this fall, focusing on a ship built by the Ancients that a crew is trapped on.
Variety
confirmed the pickup with a 13-episode order.
- ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Season 2 Goes Darker * The second season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars promises to be darker and a little more violent.Clone Warssupervising director Dave Filoni says, “The second season is a bit darker. We have the rise of the bounty hunters entering the war — bringing in a lot of chaos and a whole new set of problems for Anakin and Obi-Wan.”The voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, James Arnold Taylor, says the new season is amazing.“Ive seen some of the new episodes already completed, and they’re amazing,” Taylor said. “The action is there, and the humor is there. But we also see some new aspects of Obi-Wan and his past.”
The creators of the show are looking to capture that same cool mystique that bounty hunter Boba Fett brought to the original movies. Unfortunately the setting of Clone Wars doesn’t lend itself to the inclusion of Boba Fett. There’s no mention of Fett’s appearance in season two and if he does appear, he’d have to be a kid. Instead, the good guys will have the ruthless Cad Bane to deal with (amongst others), a new Bounty Hunter from the planet Duro who is cruel, calculating, and more than willing to go head to head against the Jedi.
Clone Wars
returns to the Cartoon Network for a second season this fall.Also, the first season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray November 3, 2009 and will include extended directors cut versions of seven episodes.
- ‘Stargate: SG1 and ‘Stargate: Atlantis’ Movies on Hold *This entire year has been filled with talk of the impending Stargate: SG1 and Stargate: Atlantis films (the latter titled Stargate: Extinction). At one point sources indicated the SG1 movie would start filming before the year was out, and at another that both movies might be filmed back to back.Stargatefans will be disappointed to here both movies are now on hold.Stargate Universe
executive producer Robert C. Cooper told Sci Fi Wire:“We’re ready to go,” Cooper said “We’re just waiting for the right opportunity. We want to be successful with it. The studio wants to be successful, and we really don’t want to proceed with something in the wrong climate, which I think financially it is right now.”
He also confirmed that the Atlantis movie takes place shortly after the end of season five and that the SG-1 movie takes place sometime in between when the SG-1 movies left off and when Stargate Universe begins.”
That is, if and when they happen.
- Stargate Universe responds to controversy over lesbian body swapping episode *But first, here’s the statement Stargate Universe creators Brad Wright and Robert Cooper posted on the Gateworld forum this morning, after being barraged with complaints via email and Twitter from LGBT and disability rights groups responding to criticism of the episode on a handful of blogs and websites (including AfterEllen.com):
Recently, a casting breakdown was released to agents for a upcoming character in our television show, Stargate Universe. The character, Doctor Eleanor Perry, is a brilliant scientist at the top of her field, who also happens to be a quadriplegic. As part of a science fiction conceit that is core to our series, Perry’s consciousness is temporarily exchanged with one our series main characters, Camile Wray, who is a lesbian. In the course of the story, Perry has the experience of being able bodied for the first time since she was a child. At the same time, Wray, temporarily encumbered by Perry’s physical disability, experiences the unconditional love of her life partner.
The language of the breakdown was insensitive and inaccurate, and we sincerely apologize to those who may have been offended. The audition pages that have been under scrutiny were from an early draft and released out of context. It is our desire and intention to portray both characters with dignity and respect, while remaining mindful of the ethical issues we’re raising.
- ‘Smallville’: First Look at Brian Austin Green as MetalloGreen will appear in a two-episode arc that begins with the season 9 opening episode, ‘Savior’. He plays John Corben, a new Daily Planet reporter who, in the aftermath of an accident, becomes the villain Metallo, a cyborg with a heart made of kryptonite.Executive producer Kelly Souders says the initial character will be a rough version of Metallo that is “a first attempt at the technology, and eventually he’ll get sleeker.”In other words, the first two episodes of the new season aren’t the only episodes Green will appear in.
Ten Minutes in SciFi Movies:
- ‘Earth Vs Moon’: A $200M Sci-Fi War Epic Written for Will Smith “It’s about two societies at war, but it’s also about a family, not at war, but a fractured family,” Reese says. “Half of them have gone to the moon and the other half are still on Earth and so they are on opposite sides of this conflict and we wanted to make sure that as big of movie as it’s going to be, it works on a small level. It works on a personal level, the way we like to think about Zombieland working. It’s just this huge post-apocalyptic landscape, but we really want it to work on an interpersonal level for just a few people who are the stars.”
- ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ Release Date Announced Columbia Pictures has announced the release date for their Black Hawk Down meets 28 Days Later sci-fi alien invasion actioner Battle: Los Angeles: February 18, 2011.The Jonathan Liebesman (Darkness Falls / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning / The Killing Room) directed film stars Aaron Eckart (aka Two-Face in The Dark Knight) as a tough Marine Commander in charge of a platoon battling against an alien invasion on the streets of Los Angeles.The script comes from Scott Silver (8 Mile / Requiem for a Dream) who was hired to rewrite an original screenplay by Chris Bertolini .Additional cast include Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena and Bridget Moynahan.
- District Nine does well:No blockbuster like Kong or LOTR, but good…Claiming the top spot, unsurprisingly, wasDistrict 9. The $30 million dollar mockumentary-style sci-fi thriller from first time feature director Neill Blomkamp brought in $37 million this weekend, easily besting second place G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra’s $22.5 million.A scarier/gore scifi – not my type of scifi – Event Horizon – but an orginal idea none-the-lessCliff Ravencraft’s review….
- Writer Hired to Pen ‘Spider-Man 5 and ‘Spider-Man 6 * Spider-Man 4 has yet to enter production but that hasn’t stopped Sony Pictures Entertainment from hiring screenwriter James Vanderbilt to pen Spider-Man 5 and Spider-Man 6.Both Spider-Man 5 and Spider-Man 6 will have an interconnected storyline. Word is Vanderbilt’s original Spider-Man 4 script was also to be connected to Spider-Man 5, but the idea was scrapped due to the logistics of filming the fourth and fifth films back to back.Vanderbilt wrote the first script to Spider-Man 4 before director Sam Raimi brought on David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) to rewrite it. Pleasantville writer Gary Ross is now rewriting the rewritten script.Vanderbilt’s most recent script credits include The Losers for Warner Bros. and David Fincher’s Zodiac.As yet there is no confirmation that either Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire or Kirsten Dunst will sign on for the fifth and sixth films. If they don’t, Vanderbilt’s script will be used as a blueprint for a complete franchise reboot. Spider-Man 4 will head into production early next year for a slated release date of May 6, 2011.
- Bryan Singer never got a crack at Star Trek, but he’ll get his hands on a Battlestar Galactica movie Battlestar Galactica is getting the big-screen treatment. Universal Pictures has confirmed what was originally reported on HitFix.com that Bryan Singer, director of Valkyrie, will take on directing and producing duties for a BSG movie. Glen Larson, who created original series back in 1978, will produce as well. The film is not expected to be a continuation of current popular television show that’s running on the SyFy network but will be a complete re-imagining of the sci-fi lore that was invented by Larson back in the 70s.
Our Movie Reviews:
- GI Joe Reviews:* Don’s review of GIJo:* Herne’s Review: The Joe characters overall were so-so. Scarlet was a bit sad with that fancy crossbow. Snake Eyes was OK. Also, when you have a super-secret military base hidden underground, you should probably shield it from radio waves… DUH! So, is it just me that too many movies these days are relying on special effects over a good story? My final review of GI Joe is; way too much CGI, weak bad guy characterization, more action / fewer explosions. I give it a low 3 out of 5.Other reviews posted by Herne: “A slightly more pleasurable experience than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. But then again, so is a prolapsed colon. ” and “…the movie starts to feel like a remake of Team America: World Police without the jokes.” #GIJoe
- The Time Traveler’s Wife – The premise: A Chicago librarian suffers from a rare genetic disorder that sends him hurtling through time whenever he is under extreme duress; despite the fact that he vanishes at inordinately frequent and lengthy intervals, he attempts to build a stable future with the beautiful young heiress he loves. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in this dramatic fantasy, which is directed by Robert Schwentke and based on the best-selling book by author Audrey Niffenegger. Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler–cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry’s travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.Cliff’s review:
Ten Minute in SciFi DVD/Video:
The Main Show:
- Part 2 of an interview with Michael with NeoFX