David Scholes' Newest Story

 

 

David just sent in the link to his newest story on Farther Stars Than These

 Here’s a link to my latest sci-fi story “The Shooting Gallery” on Farther Stars Than These: 

http://www.fartherstars.com/search/label/David%20K%20Scholes

 

SFWA announces the 2010 Nebula Award Nominees

Here are the nominations for the 2110 Nebula Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA)

The awards will be announced at the Nebula Awards Banquet on Saturday evening, May 21, 2011 in the Washington Hilton, in Washington, D.C..

Short Story

* Arvies, Adam-Troy Castro
* How Interesting: A Tiny Man, Harlan Ellison
* I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno, Vylar Kaftan
* The Green Book, Amal El-Mohtar
* Ghosts of New York, Jennifer Pelland
* Conditional Love, Felicity Shoulders

Novelette

* Map of Seventeen, Christopher Barzak
* The Jaguar House, in Shadow, Aliette de Bodard
* The Fortuitous Meeting of Gerard van Oost and Oludara, Christopher Kastensmidt
* Plus or Minus, James Patrick Kelly
* Pishaach, Shweta Narayan
* That Leviathan, Whom Thou Hast Made, Eric James Stone
* Stone Wall Truth, Caroline M. Yoachim

Novella

* The Alchemist, Paolo Bacigalupi
* Iron Shoes, J. Kathleen Cheney
* The Lifecycle of Software Objects, Ted Chiang
* The Sultan of the Clouds, Geoffrey A. Landis
* Ghosts Doing the Orange Dance, Paul Park
* The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers beneath the Queen’s Window, Rachel Swirsky

Novel

* The Native Star, M.K. Hobson
* The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemisin
* Shades of Milk and Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
* Echo, Jack McDevitt
* Who Fears Death, Nnedi Okorafor
* Blackout/All Clear, Connie Willis

Review: The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson

Review The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson
Edited by Jonathan Strahan
Night Shade Books
389pp HC

The first recommendation I could make about this collection is that if you are not all that familiar with Mr. Robinson's works then this volume is for you. Editor Strahan is noting if not an excellent technician and in light of this collection has proved that he will accept nothing but the best and it shows many times over in this Best Of.... Night Shade, Strahan and of course KS Robinson should all be pleased with the project.

Right from the first story, you know you're in for a reading treat.

"Venice Drowned" is a near future tale of life in an all but drowned Venice brought on by steadily rising sea levels many of the other low laying town have already succumbed, but the inhabitants of Venice, living off the bones of the towns already dead, refuse to give up.

And that is just the beginning! Alternate histories of the long past and the not so distant past. How about a mind warping tale of a bent reality where everyone is dreaming and awake at the same time? I loved the story "The Translator" just because it's something everyone thinks just once. Is the translator really saying what was said or embellishing or flat out lying?! What if his efforts could stop a war? Its a funny and fascinating story at the same time.

Robinson will often flip ideas on their heads. Like what would the last days be like if instead of global warming, we enter a new ice age? Some of the tales are short focus like a night spent on a mountain top in a raging blizzard. Its clear that Robinson has spent a great deal of time in areas as pristine as possible. It colors so many of his stories.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. My only observation because it really isn't a complaint is that maybe the collection could have been shorter because it really seemed to loose steam towards the last quarter. The last part of the book is a bit chaotic almost as if to fill up the last few pages. It clearly came to a point when I really didn't want to read anymore. That might be completely different for other readers. I just feel that the collection could have done without the last 78 pages or so.

That being said however, this book will not be a waste of your time. It shows Robinson in a good light, showcasing a great talent and a wry sense of humor. I would recommend checking this one out.

Up & Inception trailer mashup called *sic* Upception

From the pages of Gizmodo via Kim Komando comes a very clever mashup of the sci fi thriller Inception and the animated family movie Up. In this "Trailer" called with tongue firmly in cheek, Upception, are graphics that all originated from "Up" but the voices and sound track are from the trailer for "Inception". The end product is a well timed and brilliantly edited fake trailer that if you didn't know any better, could be taken for the real deal. Great fun and very funny in retrospect!

Review: Ark

I am fast finding the "webisode" platform a very interesting in innovative way to present a series or even what on TV would be called a single one hour episode. Instead of one long episode of an hour or longer, each web episode is instead a short bite sized offering. Instead of that single hour you may in fact have nine or more episodes ranging anywhere for 3 minutes to upwards of 10 minutes. SyFy's Sanctuary started this way on the web - with 4 to 6 per hour, giving the fan little morsels at each visit. The beauty of this is that if you don't have enough time for a half to full hour, you can break it up and watch snippets during breaks or what have you. Plus if you want more, you simply keep watching other episodes in the series or better yet instead of once a week, you have a piece every day of the week.
So for me, the first was Sanctuary, a couple other less well hyped, then Woke Up Dead and more recently is a really good web-isodic program called ARK on Hulu.com

Here is the snipit that Hulu provides for the program:

• Two strangers plucked from different decades find themselves lost on a massive spaceship deep in space. With no information about where they are or how they got there, they must work together to figure out a way home.

At present there are 9 episodes that add up to about a regular 1 hour program sans adds (hulu of course has ads, but they are short and not intrusive)

Like Santuary I will bet that ARK is dependant on green screen, but even so there has been effort to provide an environment much like say SyFy's Stargate Universe's ancient mysterious ship. So far, with 9 shorts down, we have a mix of SG Universe and Riverworld. There are hints that the "ARK" is ancient and carrying a precious cargo.

It is worth checking out and if you don't like it, well what, you're down 10 minutes or less? The ninth doesn't wrap much up, so maybe there is a bunch of other webisodes in the wings.

Review: Gattaca

Gattaca


Starring
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Gore Vidal, Loren Dean, Blair Underwood, Ernest Borgnine, Tony Shalhoub

What would a world be like if you were judged at birth to be suitable to be the recipient of societies benefits or unfit?

I was all set to dismiss this movie as a bit of mean spirited anti everything movie. You know the type, rave about surveillance, security, pollution, on and on and on.

Then I started paying attention to the overall ambiance. Things stopped adding up. Although it appeared modern time frame or even future, the architecture was decidedly 50s, Dress was conservative even for that time, maybe 20s? Tech though advanced seemed almost steam punk in nature. What I realized was that we have a brave new world / 1984 type of thing going on here - almost an alternative or parallel Earth mind set. Then the 40s perfect genome perfect baby mentality starts to make a whole lot of sense. It's Earth, perhaps, just not quite OUR Earth. Everything is this surreal perfect generic low-tech high-tech uber surveillance society and everything stays in the 30s/40s double breasted button down motif right to the end. Space suits? Seat belts? Nope, 3 piece suits, ties, high-backed seats in a circle and the launch techs? Right out of a Russian 60s propaganda film.

In the middle of this is a "genetically undesirable" who's only option is menial labor who dreams of the stars. I wouldn't think of ruining the twisted hiding in plain sight that is the pivot for this movie, and the obligatory reversals are very much in evident, perhaps to a fault, but the one thing that does happen with these "twists" is that it is extremely difficult to predict the ending. You will find yourself at the last few moment in the film muttering...didn't see that coming.

Gattaca is of course a movie with a bit of age on it being filmed in 1997 which when put into perspective was incredibly forward thinking in ways that as breath taking as they were, movies like Blade Runner, could not hope to be. There is no question that Gattica is still very timely in the subject matter it addressed.

The Blu-Ray is every bit an addition to the movie experience. We have an out take reel, and several featurettes that explain the original vision, the making of thought process and strangely enough a separate science of DNA.

Now I am going to warn you that if you are planning on watching the movie for the first time, it does carry a fairly strong "message" but no more so that some of the totally self serving disingenuous crap that we see lately that is only politically correct for the dollars sake. With Gattica they went so far as to cut the most troublesome messages out of the general release because the didnt want to pound us over the head with "the Message" so that is a serious kudo for me.

I don't know why I let this one go when it first came to the big screen or why I never pursued it in the intervening years, but I have got to say that Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law really do excellent jobs and when you consider the time frame and some of the neat info from the short films you appreciate just how good this movie is.

The movie is an 8 solid and the special extras are 9 (why a 9? because I have kinda grown to like the feature with the director voice over...didnt get that) so Gattaca is a solid 9 in my book. Being a message movie, you may feel it a bit heavy handed and some might be put off by the age, but considering that alien and 2001 Blade Runner and their ilk still hold their weight, this has got to be a film in their league.

DVD Review: Watchmen

Watchmen
Directed by Zack Snyder

The movie is set in a parallel time-line set around the date of 1985. Many things are recognizable so people that are not exactly interested in this type of science fiction device, won't be put off too much.

One major difference is Richard Nixon has been re-elected to the presidency for a 5^th time! Also with lighter than air craft apparent in the sky, disasters like the Hindenburg/Graff Zepplin didn't happen.

Costumed heroes or vigilantes are common place (you really can't call them superheroes because there seems to be no powers evident in most of the people. Dr. Manhattan may be one of the most striking exemptions however) Most it would seem are very much in the “Batman” class of crime fighting.

The real twist is as the movie opens, it's apparent that these heroes have fallen on disfavor and are no longer practicing their craft. But it would seem that there is a conspiracy to eliminate each and every one of them. Plus the Nixon administration has outlawed the practice.

Most of the movie revolves around a small group of “Watchmen” trying to uncover the conspiracy and dealing with their past which in some cases went well off the path for some to be considered heroes.

One thing that can be said is that the film is long. The theatrical cut was 162 minutes and the directors cut 186. After about 90 minutes you find yourself saying...wow, this is a long movie. But the plot doesn't fall down. It's dark, moody, introspective at the same time violent and hard edged. It earns it R rating hands down.

The dvd doesn't seem to be any great shake though. No extra features that I could find. And once again if I am going to be asked to lay down money for content, I would expect some premium extra which are lacking. Though the longer cut, does have its appeal. So its a great rental DVD but I would question its value as a purchase ...not quite enough value added in my mind. I do see though that if your inclined to rent Blu-ray you do get the special edition director's cut that does run 186 minutes.

AntipodeanSF, #135 now online!

Ion, editor of AntipodeanSF the online flash fiction magazine, writes to tell us some good news!:

• Just a short note to say that the latest issue of AntipodeanSF, #135 is now published on the net for your enjoyment.
• You'll find AntipodeanSF at the usual address:
• www.antisf.com.au
  

Good news indeed. I took the initive to go over and get a short description of some of the stories available in this month's issue. Check it out!



Figment By Matt Tighe

When Bob woke a tree was growing in the corner of his bedroom. The carpet around it had turned from white to green, and it sported large green leaves that turned the sunlight into shadow patterns on the bedspread. At its base was a small wooden door.

A small man stepped out. "Ah," he said. "You're awake."



Robotron Strikes Again By Jake Wickenhofer and Greg Wickenhofer

"Remind me again what we are doing," Robotron said. "It's some kind of human bonding ritual, right?"

"Sure." I said, handing Robotron the jacket.

"This garb is positively ridiculous."



Traitor By Gitte Christensen

JazJay packed his things with a heavy heart. Music thumped out an invigorating beat threaded with life-affirming lyrics (messages mixed by Gr8Boy12 specifically to blast sense into his defeatist friend), and the tribe buzzed about him.

"Don't let those fascists win," urged GoChas, "Fight the good fight."



Dark Past Midnight By Jan Napier

"Bad blood," my mother winced, extracting my milk teeth from her ankle. I think not!

I was too young to tender an explanation to the woman — a mere foster parent, and not my natural parent at all. However, if she persisted in lurking around corners then jumping out at me, there could only be one result. For one of my race it is a typical reaction.



Demonstration By Shaun A. Saunders

"So you'd like to stage a 'demonstration', is that correct?"

I nodded. Yes. It is my right after all, living in a democracy.

"All right," said the court clerk, "please fill out this application form."



Perimeter By Ashley Hibbert

I looked up from the mangled bulkhead and into the distance between the ripped hull.

It was some explosion that had created the gap, yet the Brigand's sensors hadn't worked out what had caused it. Our mission. Yet the team's presence and purpose had ceased to be of any importance.



The Day They Won By Lee Giminez

"Mr. Smith? We need a decision today."

Smith stared at his assistant. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "I know..."

It was just the two of them in the board room: NASA Administrator Michael Smith and his assistant, Andy Stevens.



Teslar's Wonderful Electric Incapacitation Pistol By Liam Thorpe

For as long as me or mine can remember, the Bobbies 'round London had walked the beat with nowt but twelve inch of Bully Stick at their side. But since the Great Exhibition they've got a little something extra up their sleeves.

I were told some Russian bloke, name of Teslar, went and invented a pistol. Called it the Wonderful Electric Incapacitation Pistol.



Some Things Never Change By Stephen L Thompson

Standing on the bottom step, Kyle Cooper took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Ever so slowly he lifted his right foot, inched it forward, and set his spacesuit boot down into the red dust. With his eyes still closed he said, "I've taken a small step into a giant future."



Time To Sign Off By Francis Conaty

Assessor Williams disliked his job. The rigid rules under which he worked made it impossible to offer these people any hope for the future. Williams returned his attention to his present applicant. "You must remember, Mr. Sanjay, that when this country accepted you as an environmental refugee the conditions of that acceptance were clearly conveyed to you."

"Of course I remember. It is not every day that one is sterilized.

AntipodeanSF June issue #132 is online!

Nuke, editor and chief of the Australian online flash fiction magazine write to tell the readers/listeners of BMU that the newest issue (June #132) is online and ready for your enjoyment!

Here is a list of the TOC plus short selections of the stories:

Squatters By Dean Grondo

The aliens were tall, bug-eyed bipeds with a strange irregular morphology. We studied them from orbit, amazed at the extensiveness of their presence on the water world. Almost every island on the planet was filled with them, and they'd built towering metropolises out of
stone that spread out over huge areas, baffling the imagination.


Postcard From Castle Khozi By Jan Napier

Dear Vilma,We are home safely, but only just. The idiot captain of the liner almost rammed it into a snoozing sea serpent, (I think it was Spotty, but I didn't really get a good look), just because Grandma smiled at him. Well, you know how she is. She likes talking to people.


The Wood Moths By David Kernot

"Corin, wait!" "No," she said, walking away from him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of it," said Arin. "Don't go." "Idiot. How could you be so cruel?"


The Monk By Ray O'Brien

Drew saw The Monk when he crested the dune, saw the red robe flutter in the breeze half-way down the slope. There sat the Monk, waiting.


Icarus Rising By Alison Pearce

Icarus was the ancestor of my ancestor's ancestors. He lived and died before the Sumerians ploughed their first field.


A Matter of Choice By Shaun A. Saunders

The district court judge allowed a puzzled frown. "Could the defendant please explain how he could walk out of a supermarket without purchasing anything?" he asked.


Edison & Earth By Jonathan Gillen

A short tale from the Southern Hemisphere. Darren Boyle grew up under the care of his grandparents on an outback desert cattle station, literally hundreds of miles from the nearest small country town, and he had always admired the virtually infinite stars of the Milky Way that shone through the planet's thin atmosphere.


A Future For Despair By Nicolas Sheppard

Do you wish you were dead, but wonder who will provide for your family when you're gone?


The Couch By Karen Maric

The couch appeared on the footpath outside the pub one morning, lying on its side in the summer glare. Looking back, I s'pose someone must've dumped it there.


April By David Such

I slammed the steering wheel with my fist. "Un-bloody-believable!" I was still angry with my wife and the traffic was shit-house. I keep replaying the conversation.


Click here for these stories and much more

Cloths of the Future - The Downside of Time Travel

Ok, I think I have been good, (ok so I did make you look at a robot's junk...) so I think I been good enough to post a somewhat off color video of the draw backs of fashion and time travel.

I found a really funny video on Gizmodo that describes the problems of time travel for fun and profit. Or, your past selves are always dorks... lol

Here is the new Funny or Die video, featuring Paul Scheer

"Clothes to the Future" with Paul Scheer from Paul Scheer

Antipodean SF issue 128 is online!

The editor of AntipodeanSF tells me that issue 128 is now online for your reading pleasure.

Here is the selection of flash fiction stories in this month's issue:


Thumping Headache By Jill Smith
Aleeta screamed, "It's in my head again." She rocked back in her seat, then slumped forward - lifeless.

The Rebel By Julie Cohen Wornan
Clara snipped the thread, then examined the garment carefully. She gave particular attention to the counterfeit brand label sewn conspicuously onto the front right pocket.

Soon The Teeth By Kirstyn McDermott
It's growing inside of me, this thing without a name. No one believes me but I can feel it in there. Its blunt claws scratch lightly at my belly.

A Spork In The Road By Matthew Sanborn Smith
What the hell was that in the road up there? Sam pulled onto the shoulder as soon as his brain gave up on the interpretation.

All The Way Down By Angie Smibert
Cherie Larsen-Metcalf NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-867-5309

The World Is A Very Dangerous Place, Dear By Shaun A. Saunders
Lisa had just returned home when her mother trapped her in one of those 'dear, why don't we sit down and chat' spiels.

The Phone Rings By Richard Thorne
It's never a good thing when your phone rings and shows an unrecognised caller ID.

Lost In Space by Mark Farrugia
I've never believed in alien abductions. They always happen to crackpots or the mentally insane, but what else could this be?

The Virgin Strand by Ashley Hibbert
"ua mau ke ea o ka ana i ka pono" - the life of the land is established in righteousness

Hidden In Plain Sight by Felicity Dowker
The man made dangerous by delusion stood on the dais, his arms raised above his head.


<- Antipodean mag ->

Midseason 2008-2009 Show Return Dates

Seems like any show that you like is now in reruns or is on hiatus and you can't find out when ANY of them are returning....been there done that. Well - luckily Mark Wilson at the About: Sci-Fi fantasy blog has been doing the research and has posted a list of shows that are returning and when. Here is a partial list - go to the Sci-fi blog for a complete listing and updates as to where the shows left off.

Battlestar Galactica returns Jan. 16 on Sci Fi with the final ten episodes.
Doctor Who is filming a string of specials to be aired throughout 2009.
Eureka is returning to Sci Fi in the Spring for the remaining four episodes of season 3.
Heroes is slated to return to NBC on Feb. 2.
Knight Rider returns Dec. 31 on NBC.
Kyle XY returns to ABC Family on Jan. 12 with a new series of ten episodes.
Life on Mars returns to ABC on Wednesday, Jan. 28.
Reaper returns to The CW on Tuesdays starting March 17 for a 13-episode second season.
Sanctuary returns Jan. 2 on Sci Fi with a two-parter.
Smallville returns to The CW on Jan. 15.
Stargate Atlantis returns for its last two episodes ever on Jan. 2 on Sci Fi.
Supernatural returns Jan. 15 on The CW.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is slated to return Feb. 13 on Fox.

Aurealis Awards

Science Fiction Award Watch is jumping on the award season with the nominees for the 2009 Aurealis Awards (for works published in 2008-ish) have been announced. Here are the Science fiction portion of the list:

Best Science Fiction Novel

K A Bedford, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait, Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing ( reviewed here on Beam Me Up )

Marianne de Pierres, Chaos Space, Book Two of the Sentients of Orion, Orbit

Simon Haynes, Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch, Fremantle Press

Kim Westwood, The Daughters of Moab, HarperVoyager

Sean Williams, Earth Ascendant, Astropolis Book Two, Orbit

Best Science Fiction Short Story

Simon Brown, ‘The Empire’, Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager

Nathan Burrage, ‘Black and Bitter, Thanks’, The Workers’ Paradise, Ticonderoga Publications

Trent Jamieson, ‘Delivery’, Cosmos, #21

Margo Lanagan, ‘The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross’, Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager

Tansy Rayner Roberts, ‘Fleshy’, 2012, Twelfth Planet Press

<- Complete Aurealis Awards list ->

<- Science Fiction Award Watch complete article ->

Antipodean Magazine #126 available

The editor of AntipodeanSF just sent out a note to let us know that issue 126 is
available on the net.

Here is the url for the newest issue

www.antisf.com

Here is the TOC for issue 126

"The Two Of Us Are Dying" by Mark Farrugia

"Manipulations" by Kurt Kurchmeier

"Escape" by Jillian Moffatt

"The Hanged Man" by Richard Ridyard

"Living, Simply" by Shaun A. Saunders

"The Home Team" by Greg Wickenhofer

"The Dunny" by John Craig

"The Lion, The Owl & The Cardinal" by PS Cottier

"Burn Me" by Adrian Gibb

"The Tale of Hakuin & The Mirror" by James C. Clar

The Worst TV Science Fiction Shows

Jerry Taylor over at Geekend loves, it would seem, to start flame wars. He has put together a list of what he suggests are the worst science fiction television shows EVER! Now I will give you the list, refresh your memory and add my comments or not, but I would be interested in what you folks think or if you have better suggestions. Now, no fair just flaming, if your going to say a show rots, back it up and we will talk about it on the next program. NO FLAMES!

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Voyage was broadcast on ABC from September 14, 1964 to March 31, 1968, and was the product of the science fiction schlock master Irwin Allen. The series tells the adventures of the crew of the Seaview, a nuclear powered submarine designed by Admiral Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart) and commanded by Captain Lee Crane (David Hedison).

What is truly amazing is that this show was the longest running science fiction series of the 1960’s on American television. And lest we forget, Allen also made those fine science fiction series Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel and Land of the Giants. (Now I watched this as a 10 year old so it was magic to me. I would make almost ANYTHING into a sub and spend long hours cruisin the depths. Was it bad? Looking back...a bit, but the remake? total waste of time)

Manimal

The creation of Glen Larson, this series features our action here Jonathan Chase (Simon MacCorkindale), who can turn into animals to fight crime. Usually it is either a hawk or panther with the same exact backdrops every time; but, when he changed into a bull, dolphin and horse, it was off-screen.

Thankfully, this nightmare of cheap special effects only lasted from 30 September to 17 December 1983. Larson was also responsible for those excellent serious serious offenders such as Knight Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the original BattleStar Gallactica and Night Man. (dead on here, I watched this maybe twice and it sucked. Knight Rider I watched a couple of times but that's one more time than the remake as well as Buck and the little robot that looked like a walking dildo, have to disagree on BSG, a bit slocky maybe but the stuff that worked was the stuff that is still working for the remake. Though if they had the present day Cylons back then I probably would have pissed myself. Night Man?! did ANYONE watch that crap?)

Airwolf

Donald Bellisario, told us of the adventures of series protagonist Stringfellow Hawke (Jan Michael Vincent), his crew chief Dominic Santini (Ernest Borgnine) tooling about in their an advanced supersonic helicopter with stealth capabilities and a formidable arsenal.

Having killed off the interesting arch-villain and all around American utter bastard Dr. Charles Henry Moffet (David Hemmings) in the series opener, it quickly devolved to flying Airwolf around, blowing up stuff and then flying home. One of the best TV series lines of all times is Moffet’s “There’s nothing wrong with a little perversion, Mark,” said to a crew person, “so long as you don’t hurt yourself.”

Bellisario later went on to make Quantum Leap, which more than makes up for this show. (Air Wolf I did watch, not sure why. I think by this time I was getting lazy in my sci-fi watching and the constant buzzing was a good way to phaze out. But the show was stupid and the only thing I wanted to see was the chopper. Quantum Leap, for some reason everyone loved and I never "got" the show. The premise never worked for me. I totally dissed the original run and only watched it later in syndication on Sci-fi. )

Star Trek: Enterprise

The brain child of Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, we follow the adventures Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) depicts the mostly human crew zipping about the galaxy at Warp Factor 5. The crew faces situations which have been encountered numerous times on other Trek series, but are new for them. The producers had the final laugh when it was revealed the last episode, These Are The Voyages… (and possibly the whole series) was a holo desk presentation being watched by Commander Riker and Deanna Troi! Low ratings killed the series after 4 seasons and may well have finally made any potential new Trek show in the future impossible - an ugly, ugly end for the franchise. (Did I ever buy Bakula as a captain of an Enterprise? Not completely, but calling the show a running joke is harsh. I was really regular at watching this program, though once I knew it was canceled I kinda lost heart. I never really picked up on ST-TNG in its first run because of the was it was marketed. The stations in my area didn't pick up on it and the Fox affiliate ran whatever it felt like which meant...you guessed it. No Star Trek. But calling Enterprise one of the worst? ummm nope, not when the greatest American Hero didn't make this list? or Time Tunnel? Or Land of the Giants? There are so many that calling this one bad is just to damn narrow)

Holmes and Yo-Yo

Brought to us in 1976 by ABC, Holmes and Yoyo is the tales of Detective Alexander Holmes (Richard Shull), NYC detective who is constantly getting his partners injured, so the department assigns him Gregory Yoyonivich (John Schuck), a good natured, slightly clumsy sidekick, who just happens to be a robot. The series featured a constant set of jokes about Yo-Yo’s constant malfunctions, inability to fully comprehend humans; while, they treated the depicted crimes seriously. Not to be confused with the John Amos and Ernest Borgnine Future Cop, which managed to earn distinction when Harlan Ellison successfully sued for stealing ideas from his work; this series well earned its place on the list. (ehhh one of the worst? He's right, Future Cop was grade a trash, but this was harmless fun like Hermie on Get Smart. I had trouble for years taking Schuck seriously because of this show. This is like an ehhh...I guess)

Automan

Automan featured police officer and computer expert Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz, Jr.), who had created an artificially intelligent crime fighting program that generated a hologram (Chuck Wagner) able to leave the computer world and enter reality to help fight crime. Automan could turn into all manner of everyday objects such as a Lamborghini Countach, helicopter, 18-wheeler, etc., while surrounded by a nimbus of wonky blue light and totaling violating all known laws of physics. This disaster ran for 13 episodes before being condemned to the dust bin. (ok, yeah, I don't think I watched all 13, I may have but then I don't remember the 18 wheeler so maybe I missed a few. Arnaz actually carried his part off I think. Always amazed geekie, but I also always knew it was a Tron rip. Have you seen it in rerun? That hair! Those clothes! unreal!)

Space 1999

Moonbase Alpha stuck on the moon, which has been blown out of Earth Orbit by an accident with nuclear waste being stored on it. Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau), Doctor Helena Russell (Barbara Bain), Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse) and other notables went from pondering deep universal questions to suffer through horrible scripts that were generated with the arrival of Fred Freiberger. (now Space is on this list because of the last season with Freiberger who every sci-fi tv fan knows is the killer of all we hold dear, but the basic show held me. I loved Landau, Bain, and Morse and I let it slide that anything that would blow the moon out of orbit would have plowed it into Earth first and at the very least broken the body into millions of parts. But I waited for that next season that never came. The level of special effect for that program were amazing for the day. Freiberger didn't do it any favors, but the worst? naaaaaaaa)

Logan’s Run

Lasting one season of 14 episodes, rogue Sandman Logan 5 (Gregory Harrison), Runner Jessica 6 (Heather Menzies) and their faithful android companion REM (Donald Moffat) travel towards Sanctuary post-apocalyptic America, while avoiding their dogged pursuer Sandman Francis (Randolph Powell). The series should be applauded for managing to use nearly every sci fi convention in a such a short run; however the beer budget special effects and wooden dialogue (shamefully written by such greats as D.C. Fontana, Harlan Ellison and William F Nolan) nearly outdoes Irwin Allen’s efforts in making truly bad television! (I used to love seeing the big names roll up for this program but this was one show that just never did anything for me. I never bought into the premise. I could never understand the motivation of the hunter, it never made any sense that he would pursue them like the FBI agent in the old Fugitive. The movie had it own really dumb moments - ice robot anyone? - and this show is one I have to agree, pretty bad)

Crusade

the series tells the story of Captain Matthew Gideon (Gary Cole) and the crew of IAS Excalibur’s search for a cure to the Drakh nanoplague that has been released on Earth, after the end of the Shadow War. TNT killed the series after 13 episodes were produced, but before any were aired. Due to the episodic nature of the B5 world, the series is a failure due to the extended time given to character development and unanswered questions. Frankly, after several more bad movies, I hope JMS will just let the B5 universe alone for awhile. (anyone? never saw this. )

Kolchak: The Night Stalker

ABC having made one of the greatest and scariest horror movies ever made for TV, decided to do a series about our intrepid, bumbling, cynical Independent News Service reporter hero Karl Kolchak (Darren McGavin). Between bamboozling his editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) about which story he is actually reporting on, fending off the snide commentary and underhanded attacks of Ron Updyke (Jack Grinnage) and dealing with corrupt city officials while trying to get to the real story; he has to deal with all manner of various supernatural predators. (said to be the inspiration to the X Files but based on an unbelievable premise....come on! yeah the movie was better. Umm that's usually the way it works. This show put Darren McGavin on the map as far as I am concerned. Was it science fiction? NO it was a monster show, that being said, I never missed an episode)

Misfits of Science

The series detailed the madcap adventures of a group of super-powered humans. Led by Dr. Billy Hayes (Dean Paul Martin, Dino’s son who tragically died in a National Guard F-4 Phantom fighter jet crash in California’s San Bernardino Mountains during a snowstorm in 1987) and featuring such diverse actors as Courteney Cox (Friends), Kevin Peter Hall (who was the dude in the Predator suit in the first film if ya didn’t know) and Mickey Jones (where he played kick butt take no names Chris Faber in the V miniseries), the series was played for laughs, which were all too few. Ultimately, it was done in by J.R. as it was playing in the same time slot as Dallas. (again: anyone? I never watched it....looked stupid and mostly was I surmise. Didn't know the Predator stuff though. cool. but hell yess, trash)

V: The Series

Kenneth Johnson (who also gave us the The Incredible Hulk) took the interesting premise of his Nazi allegory V and turned it into a weekly soap opera that reads like a mash-up of The Fugitive and Star Trek, without bothering to have any good scripts! Watching Mark Singer and Jane Badler spout bad dialogue fully explains the utter look of disgust on Michael Ironside’s face every time you see him in the background of a scene. (Ditto. For some reason seeing Michael Irosides in this show didn't work for me. I guess maybe you could tie it into the way he trashed his career in the old Battlestar Galactica. I didn't care for him there either. But Nazis? I never got that vibe once! Anyone else? I just thought bad special effects, all the aliens look human. Eat mice and bad vocal track. ehh. I lost interest fast.)

The Starlost

This series about Devon (Keir Dullea) and his adventures on the Ark. Lasting 16 episodes which were broadcast on CTV and syndicated to a few US stations, the plots and acting were so bad that Twentieth Century Fox, executive producer Douglas Trumball, writer Harlan Ellison and Ben Bova, all disavowed the show.

Little seen for years, the series is finally being released on DVD on September 30^th, 2008, which you might miss in all the excitement of the Iron Man DVD release. (Never seen this one either, but if someone said Ellison and Bova in the same sentence I would have gone for 1 at least)

Ok, so, lets get a list together of what you thought were rank terrible or why these are or are not.

Oh and you will want to go over to Geenend for the complete article. I have only put up the highlights

"Weirdness" at Eureka

I was reading over on IO9 about the first half season or so of the Sci-fi channels Eureka which read really good about the addition of a corporate mystery woman and the passing of Nathan Stark.

It's worth a read on many levels. But then the weirdness started rolling in. First off it seems the sheriff's home computer SARAH has a twitter site. This message was posted there recently:
Security sensors have detected an alert concerning a Mary Perkins. If you have information regarding her whereabouts, call 202-640-3864. On the Eureka unscripted site you see this message, which is very similar: Have information on her whereabouts? Call us at 202-640-3864.

The phone number works, seems to be hooked to a "cell phone message". You should record it, because it almost incomprehensible. However if you don't have that capability, you can go to this Eureka discussion group and there is a LINK to the recorded file and more talk. There seems to be some speculation that there might be an Eureka ARG (alternate reality game) in the wind.

It working on generating buzz for the program and I think it is working. To bad Sci-fi didn't put more of this effort onto some of the other equally good offerings.

Robert Picardo talks to IO9 about Atlantis

This article in IO9 does a good job of putting a good light on Stargate Atlantis' newest addition, Robert Picardo. Picardo replaces Amanda Tapping who is going on to play lead in the SF Channel's newest show Sanctuary. In the article, we get to see what changes are in store for Pcardo's character Richard Woolsey as well as his earlier work on Star Trek Voyager as the Doctor. Included are the original videos of the interview as well as the text of the meeting. I think you will find it as informative as I did.

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Olmos to direct Battlestar prequel movie

Yes kiddies, you read that right! Brett Love over at TV Squad writes that Edward James Olmos is on board to direct a Battlestar movie that takes place soon after the Cylons destroy the humans homeworlds. It will follow the Cylons as they deal with human survivors, aboard ships as well as on planets. The new Battlestar project will air after the series completes its run next year. So far, Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas, and Dean Stockwell are confirmed as part of the cast, nothing solid yet as to the rest of the crew.


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What do The Matrix and Cowboy Bebop have in Common?

Get ready to open a vein Bebop fans....Keanu Reeves. For those of you not in the know, Cowboy Bebop is a hugely popular Anime science fiction series. The name is a bit of a misnomer, there are no cowboys, but instead a rag tag crew of a run down ship very much in the FireFly vein. The crew are a bit bounty hunter, problem solvers but all very enigmatic in personality. I have never been able to even figure out Fred's biological sex! lol. With nothing written in stone as of yet, the rumor mill has it that Reeves would be playing Spike.
Take a trip over to <- Topless Robots -> to get some futher comments.

ABC family's The MiddleMan on it's way out?

TVSquad is reporting that ABC Family tv has just cut it's order of MiddleMan episodes from 13 to 12 which can not be viewed as a good thing. If you haven't caught it yet, The Middle Man is a quirky Batman and Robin (really not even close) hero side kick type of "ridding Gotham of nerdowells" But instead of spandex wearing super heros or black suit MIB types, the city is being saved by middle managment type. The situational comedy is good, the banter is fast and smart and the tech is deliciously geekie. The network has been getting good reviews and great fan mail but the ratings are described as sub stellar. But the word on the street is that the show has not been canceled as of yet but the plan is to put their efforts into a big season ender.

Lets keep our fingers crossed there Middle Fans