Star Trek: Phoenix - Cloak & Dagger pt1

Here is a quick synopsis of this Star Trek episode that can best be described as a labor of love. When we were first introduced to the Phoenix milieu in 2010 it was clear that there was something very special happening. Star Trek Phoenix is a fan produced new series that began on May 2, 2010. When I first heard fan made all I could think of was cheesy sets and corny dialog. Well let me dissuade you because the fans at Temporal Studios have produced a product that may not rival the big studios, but there is little doubt that they could rub shoulders in just about any crowd.

• Star Trek: Phoenix is set in a time period of 42 years following the events in the motion picture "Star Trek: Nemesis and follows the original timeline created by Gene Roddenberry.
  

• The pilot episode titled "Cloak & Dagger" takes place in 2422, one year into the maiden voyage of the Ascension Class Federation Starship USS Phoenix. Part I begins after a major attack on the vessel and the crew attempts to rescue an away team on the remote planet, Katrassii Prime. Little do they know, the rescue team will need saving from the secrets this perilous world possesses.

More can be found at their website HERE

RIP: Forrest J. Ackerman

Forrest J Ackerman, the pioneering science fiction fan, editor and writer who coined the term "sci-fi," founded Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine, passed on December 4, at 92, after a long illness. of heart failure at home at the legendary Ackermansion in Los Feliz in Los Angeles.

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From IO9: This video from the Sci Fi Channel explains why the Stargate creation is best left to the professionals.

I echo their sentiment when they say that this could easily be the funniest video promo[s] I've ever seen. The just barely hanging together, spray paint and the cannon?!!! OMG. Of course the total tongue in cheek thing is sprung on us, but it's done with such good humor that it drew even a bigger belly laugh.

And the really fun addition is that IO9 gives us some real home made films that are wickedly inventive!

Check them out here.

VanRoble's Jedi Gym

Fan fiction of any genre is often a mixed bag. As a general rule, both the producer and the fan have to be pretty fanatical for the whole exercise to work. Then, at odd intervals, comes a "home made" work that not only stands on the shoulders of giants, but stacks a few up just to improve the view. So it was when I received a recommendation to view a short film of "fan" Star Wars by VanRoble. What we are treated to, at the start, is a very competent documentary style short film, recording the "life changing" events of a Star Wars fan fulfilling his dream of running a gym for other Star Wars fans to help them become better umm fans. Its all very quirky, geeky and a bit sad. The laughs that do come seem to be completely unintentional. Then reality takes a paradyne shift and all hell breaks loose. That alone would be brilliantly enough, but when the "Oh My God"s have died off a bit, reality takes another side step. VanRoble manages to set up the premise for this short three times to give you a 360 degree vista of altered reality, lol his yours and someone else. And he does it in 6 minutes! Enjoy!

My favorite line in the film "I knew the force was real....just not this real!"





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Fan produced Superman reborn trailer

You know that computer power and consumer software are at such a level that a fan production is as good and exciting as anything that the "pros" can come up with. I idly flipping through some sites and found this gem on "I-am bored"

Superman Reborn. A fan-produced experimental Superman trailer featuring the cast of Smallville. Very nice production.

Superman Reborn A fan-produced experimental Superman trailer featuring the cast of Smallville. Very nice production.

New Star Trek: New Voyages movie is in pre-production.

David Gerrold’s “Blood and Fire” New Star Trek: New Voyages movie is in pre-production.

Bobby Rice joins the New Voyages crew as Ensign Peter Kirk, nephew of Captain James Kirk.

Also joining the New Voyages team is Nick Cook, of Star Trek: Intrepid, a Star Trek: TNG era production due out in early 2007.

Star Trek: New Voyages (formerly known as simply New Voyages) is a fan-created science fiction series set in the Star Trek universe. The series was created by Jack Marshall and James Cawley in April of 2003. The series, released exclusively via the Internet, is designed as a continuation of the original Star Trek, beginning in the fourth year of the Starship Enterprise's "five year mission." The first episode of the series was released in January of 2004.

“Blood and Fire” was originally pitched for consideration as a Star Trek: The Next Generation script by Gerrold in the 1980’s, but was rejected for what was then considered too controversial of a storyline, because it dealt with sensitive social issues.

Written by David Gerrold, with teleplay by New Voyages team member and producer, Carlos Pedraza, “Blood and Fire” is scheduled for a June 2007 shoot.

Day Break ABC's midseason LOST replacement

First off is Day Break science fiction? hummmm Time is screwed up and now police officer Harper is caught in an apparent time loop. Sounds like good sci-fi to me! Wow, when I first heard about Day break .from an ABC blurb that said Day Break was ground hog day with a bit of die hard mixed in. I thought “ Oh yeah fat chance!” But by the third time Harper wakes up into the same day, I was seriously hook. And talk about bringing out the big guns! - car chases, fights, falls, beatings, interrogations, car crashes, thugs, hoodlums, murders, shootouts you name it.. And just who isn't involved!! ABC aims to keep you interested enough to tune in again next week. Can they keep this pell-mell pace up? I doubt it, but I sure will watch next week. click the title to go straight to this weeks episode player online. Some of the notables in the cast are Tayne Diggs plays Harper on the run - wanted for murder that he is being framed for. Diggs as you remember played in Basic, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta. Adam Baldwin plays Chad Shelten an IAD officer hell bent on getting Harper and may or may not be involved with the shadowy group that is framing Harper. Baldwin has appeared in projects that include HBO's acclaimed miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and is known to the sci-fi world audiences for his starring role on Firefly, recurring roles on The X-Files, Angel and The Visitor, and guest starring roles on Stargate SG-1 and the new The Outer Limits. He followed up his Firefly character once again in Joss Whedon's motion picture, Serenity. Victoria Pratt plays Harper's police partner Andrea Battle. You might remember Pratt from her stint on Fox networks Mutant X where she played Shalimar Fox.

Star Trek fans ticked off by Shatner's clothes

According the the blog TV Squad, Star Trek fans are screaming bloody murder over the cloths that William Shatner is wearing in the new Direct TV commercial. Shatner reprises his role as James T. Kirk (with the assistance of a few of the original Star Trek crew) to plug the virtues of using the alternative to cable TV service. I found the send up of himself amusing and very much in style with say his discount travel ads or Boston Legal etc. Here are a few of the complaints that fans aired...

• the Starfleet badge is too small
• the collar is too small
• the belt buckle is wrong

Bob Sasone of TV Squad just says "I think his hair piece looks terrible!" ummm yeah, I will give Bob that one...