I couldn’t resist; this is too silly to avoid! Just to keep it balanced, the original version is after the updated-for-destruction version, for comparison.
The changes include a smaller budget and a limit of 13 episodes, but even so I was very happy to learn that Dollhouse has been renewed for a second season by Fox. It joins the ranks of Fringe on the same network, Heroes and Medium on NBC, Lost on ABC (for 3 more seasons), and Smallville and Supernatural on the CW. All shows I watch and enjoy, although some more than others. Still undecided are Chuck (decision on Monday, promising), Reaper (perhaps syndicated with cast changes), and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (not very hopeful). There are some excellent shows that have been confirmed canceled, like Eli Stone and Pushing Daises, and some new shows worth looking forward to, like Flash Forward from Robert J. Sawyer, or the remake of V, from the folks who did The 4400 and staring several Firefly actors. So as with all years, it’s a mixed bag. And while I want to see every one of the Undecided shows returning, if there can be only one, I hope it is Chuck.
There are two very different posts focused on the top science fiction moms for this mothers day I would like to share. The first is the Top 10 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mothers from Fandomainia. Besides the usual TV and Movie actresses you would expect, there is at least one entry I know only from books… because the Maximum Ride movie doesn’t even have a trailer yet. With a completely different attitude, SciFi Sizzle has also put together a list of SciFi’s Hottest Moms. While several of the names and actresses are the same, the pictures are anything but similar. Even with the differences, there is not a single entry on either list I could possibly argue with; take a look at both, and see if you don’t agree.
The Fan Film The Hunt for Gollum premiered at SciFi London yesterday, and was posted online at the same time (in HD, no less). Besides the movie’s home page, you can find it at Daily Motion, which also hosts the Sci-Fi London TV archives. Author Walter Jon Williams has posted a fun video called Mutant Powers, explaining graphically why you don’t want them. He also found the exploding gummi bears video below. And the first trailer is out for District 9, another thinking-person’s sleeper hit in the making, along with Moon.
I am assuming they paid the SyFy Portal serious money for stealing their brand. In fact that site, under their new brand Airlock Alpha, admits as much, even if they don’t disclose the amount. I look forward to seeing how they use that cash influx online, and have to cheer on anyone in Science Fiction who can turn a noticeable profit in today’s economy. Reactions are coming in from all over the web, from CNet with their usual unique perspective, to Entertainment Weekly who come at it from a totally different angle. Cinema Blend, the Live Feed, and the Hollywood Reporter all took the line you would expect from each of those media mavens (each different, but each the same). The Fans have a different view, expressed by Topless Robot, or Forbidden Planet, or even G4 TV, and again, each reaction is different, and each the same. Myself, I can’t wait to see how Alpha Airlock evolves; the SF Channel, whatever their spelling, has the budget to ignore the fans, but this time some true fans got the better end of the deal. Congrats, Hinman!
The other day I mention the tune on SciFi Songs called Grasping for the Wind (The Linkup Meme Song), a song filled with SF review blog names. What I didn’t know at the time (for someone who lives in the future I can be awfully slow about some things) was that this was the name of the blog built by John Ottinger that put together the entire project. The list is getting huge, and continues to grow. To help you with sorting through it, the Crotchety Old Fan Reviews the Review Blogs, complete with links to each conveniently placed next to its review. I knew there was a reason I liked the internet, and thanks to Sheila at Wands and Worlds for making me aware of what I was missing. As Holly said in Red Dwarf (Queeg, episode 5 of season 2) “I may be slow, but I get there in the end”. BTW, did you know the Red Dwarf team was putting together some new specials?