Fancast has a few video pieces and a nice blog entry about upcoming SciFi series Flash Forward and V. Flash Forward is based on the Robert J Sawyer book of the same name, while V is of course a remake of that classic 80s TV series. I am looking forward to both. John Scalzi has a history lesson for us about pre-Star Wars SciFi hit movies. I never knew the number one movie in 1916 was a version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which I am now going to watch.
One of which is the Joy of Six, a definitive Brit Geek look at whats on offer… Slice of SciFi has a glimps at all things Fox, and Sci-Fi Scoop has some quality photos from V. Then there is the Toughest Gals list. Followed by this video…
Season 3 of Primeval kicks off on BBC America tomorrow night, bringing our crew of time-traveling dinosaur secret agents back for another round of fun. For those who haven’t watched the show, the dinosaurs do most of the time traveling, the members of the secret government agency combat them. Word has just surfaced that Warner Brothers will be bring it to the big screen, or at least a variation of it. I am hoping they at least have the sense to use the original cast, but they have already announced they will move the action to the U.S. Back in the UK, for the second Bank Holiday in May, London Expo is going on this weekend, with all kinds of movie goodies.
NASA is currently running the final Hubble mission, upgrading the satellite one last time. If you are interested in watching the mission in real time, as always you can see it on NASA TV, both online and on select cable systems. If their are any problems with the mission, NASA now has an emergency response shuttle ready to run a rescue flight. Part of the mission is to bring home the camera that saved the Hubble, the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Installed in 1993, this was the first camera with a corrective function for the flaw in the Hubble’s mirror. To commemorate the retirement they have released one last beauty shot of planetary nebula Kohoutek 4-55; the camera will be added to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum permanent collection. For other incredible images captured by the Hubble, take a look at their Gallery site. And if you get by the Smithsonian in the next week or two, don’t forget to see the original Enterprise model used in the 60s Star Trek TV show, and maybe catch the Star Trek IMAX version of the new movie. They will also be running other Sci-Fi IMAX films including NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN and Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen. Here is the video of the shuttle capturing the Hubble to bring it onboard for repairs.
There are a number of viral Terminator: Salvation sites online, as there were for the new Trek movie and many others. One such site is Resist Or Be Terminated, done as the propaganda arm of John Connors resistance. Another is Enitechlabs Research, at first glance a particle physics web site. But a camera they have developed that takes pictures about 3 years in the future has begun to show some disturbing images, and something seems to be after the scientists now. Then there is Skynet Research, who are looking for a few good robotics design engineers, offering free download and installation of their Distributed Computing Network software, and giving away their security systems to install in your home or business…
If you haven’t already, of course. I love the reboot known as Star Trek 11, and can’t wait for the next one. Simon Pegg as Scotty and Karl Urbana as Bones both brought something to the characters that gave them a spark of life even the originals didn’t have (shields up, prepare to repel flames), and Zach Quinto as Spock was dead on the money. There were a few details I can quibble with, that still didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the movie; but the folks at Sci-Fi Wire said it first and better, so read their version. Above all, go see the movie!