Scifi News Updated Every Weekday
SCI FI Wire
Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight, told reporters that it's really him standing on the top of a Chicago skyscraper for a particularly dangerous scene.
British writer and producer Adrian Hodges told SCI FI Wire on July 8 that a remake of the 1970s post-apocalyptic TV series Survivors will be ready to broadcast this fall on the United Kingdom's BBC One and that more episodes are going into production. The show could eventually find its way to the United States on BBC America, he added.
Rob Cohen, director of the upcoming The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, told SCI FI Wire that the third installment in the franchise will focus as much on the familial relationships among the characters as it will on special effects and action sequences.
HDNet network president Mark Cuban told reporters that the network is looking to program more science fiction and fantasy independent films on the network and to encourage a generation of people who haven't seen big blockbusters on the big screen to return to theaters.
Warner Brothers and Rawson Thurber are developing Elfquest, a fantasy movie based on the cult comic by Wendy and Richard Pini, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Laura Ramsey--whose SF horror film The Ruins is now on DVD--told SCI FI Wire that making the film was the toughest experience of her life.
SF author David Louis Edelman told SCI FI Wire that his latest novel, MultiReal, is about characters who reach a major crossroads in their lives and have to make difficult decisions--and what would happen if they had access to a technology that let them choose both alternatives at once.
The cast and filmmakers behind the Batman sequel The Dark Knight uniformly praised Heath Ledger's performance as the villainous Joker, which some are already suggesting may garner the late actor an Oscar nomination.
Rob Cohen, director of the upcoming action sequel The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, told SCI FI Wire that changing the setting from 1930s Egypt, where the first two films took place, to 1940s China offered a chance to do something completely new with the franchise.
In Hellboy II: The Golden Army, the troubled relationship between the title character and his firestarter girlfriend was drawn in part from writer-director Guillermo del Toro's own marriage of more than two decades.
Slice of SciFi � News
AFTRA Members Accept AMPTP Contract Deal
An overwhelming majority (62%) of the 70,000 members of the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists (AFTRA) have ratified that union’s contract deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP) knocking back the larger actor’s union, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), on its heels. AFTRA had signaled early on in their negotiations [...]
Conference Call With Joseph Mallozzi & Robert Picardo
Our reporter Linda Craddock has been very busy these past few weeks rounding up interviews for all our fans of “Stargate: Atlantis,” the next Mummy film, the new television series “The Middleman” and more. She recently sat in on an invitation-only press conference sponsored by the GE CORP AM INITIATIVES GROUP. The conference [...]
Sam’s Bizarro DVD Pick of the Week
We are now living in the year 2097 and it’s been twenty years since nuclear devastation has left the world in near annihilation. What should we do? You guessed it — throw “The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell.” Our hero is named Tex Kennedy and he lives in an underground bunker. [...]
“Heroes” Webisodes Going Postal
You can run, but sooner or later, secrets will kill. The Heroes Webseries premieres Monday, July 14.
“The Middleman” - A Summertime Heavyweight
Written by: Michael Hickerson (Zombie Channel Chief News Editor) Fans looking for summer-weight sci-fi on their television screens don’t have to look any further than ABC Family’s new series, “The Middleman.” Airing Monday evenings at 10 p.m. EST on the cable channel, “The Middleman” is a refreshing, fun series about the people who deal with [...]
Olmos will direct new Galactica movie
New details on the upcoming Battlestar Galatica movie were revealed this morning by IGN. According to reports, actor Edward James Olmos will be in the director’s chair for the upcoming two-hour movie.�� The movie will begin shooting after the fourth season is completed and�will be written by Jane Espenson from an outline by David Wheddle and Bradley [...]
Dr Who fans upset over on-screen phone number
Warning: This story contains minor SPOILERS for Doctor Who’s “The Stolen Earth.”� In the old days, every television shows giving out a number used the standard number starting with “555.”� Over the past several years, phone numbers included in television series have become more and more of an Easter egg for fans, willing to freeze-frame the [...]
Activision Inc, owner of “Guitar Hero,” will soon be merging with another big gaming franchise once its company’s shareholders approve the plan, which is expected to happen Tuesday, July 8. Activision is set to join up with Vivendi Games (”World of Warcraft”) which will make the joint venture the largest and fastest-growing gaming corp [...]
Some SF Programs Predicted to Be Big
The Hollywood Reporter is predicting that SF and genre-related television programming will be big this year with J.J. Abrams’ “Fringe” leading the pack. Also slated to end up being a winner are two show’s adapted from British TV. “Eleventh Hour” (CBS) and “Life on Mars” (ABC). Past established shows such as NBC’s “Heroes” and the CBS/Jennifer [...]
New York, NY, Tuesday July 8, 2008 - With E3 ‘08(The Electronic Entertainment Expo) just one week away, Xcast founder and host Frank Romano has announced what him and his staff have in store for E3 ‘08. Though Romano himself will not be attending the conference he plans on bringing the best E3 experience possible [...]
Weekend Box Office Final — July 4-6, 2008
All totals are U.S. box office only. SF and genre-related films in bold. The top seven films this week are all genre-related movies. Title (Dist)….Reported Weekend Box Office….# of Engagements….Cumulative 1. Hancock (Sony)….$62,603,879….3,965….$103,877,446 2. WALL-E (Disney)….$32,509,203….3,992….$127,196,028 3. Wanted (Universal)….$20,050,070….3,185….$90,186,395 4. Get Smart (Warner Bros.)….$11,109,408….3,574….$98,100,652 5. Kung Fu Panda (Paramount)….$7,318,635….3,347….$193,221,867 6. The Incredible Hulk (Universal)….$4,899,280….3,043….$124,841,395 7. Indiana Jones & the Kingdom Crystal Skull (Paramount)….$3,774,807….2,192….$306,428,521 8. [...]
Slice of SciFi Interview with Alfred Gough
Alfred Gough is one of today’s most successful screenwriters and producers with such films as “Showtime,” “Shanghi Noon,” “Shanghi Knights” “Spider Man 2″ and “Lethal Weapon 4″ to his credit. Some of his television shows include the highly successful “Smallville,” “Martial Law” and the pilot episode of “Aquaman.” His next big screen film is “The [...]
The Cabal Worldwide Revolution
Games-Masters and OGPlanet, the European and North American publishers of Cabal Online have joined forces with Xfire to bring you an amazing event! From now until July 21st, Xfire is hosting a Play 2 Win and Clans Competition for BOTH versions, doubling the friends, doubling the fun, and doubling the prizes! In addition, from July 7th [...]
Slice of SciFi — “X-Files Revelations” DVD Contest
Beginning Tuesday, July 8, 2008 and running through Midnight, Pacific time Saturday July 19, 2008 we are giving away one DVD copy of “The X-Files: Revelations.” This DVD is an essential guide to “The X-Files” movie containing eight critical episodes handpicked by Chris Carter, the series creator. Also contained inside the packaging with this DVD [...]
Doctor Who Journey’s End Review
With “Journey’s End” Russell T. Davies attempts to bring a sense of closure to his tenure as the producer for Doctor Who.� I’ll give him credit for what he tried to do here, even if I found the episode’s execution a bit lacking.� It was an episode that was neither as brilliant as it wanted to be [...]
Science Fiction in the News
ST-2 Shooting Simulator Like Simak's Virtual Rifle Range
Clifford Simak had a pretty good vision of this forty years ago; see the ST-2 video and check it against Simak's ideas. (SF in the News)
Polaris Poker AI Defeats Humans, Rakes In $195K
Interesting shift in strategy brings victory to Polaris, the winner in the Man-Machine Poker Competition held in Las Vegas this weekend. (SF in the News)
'Life Support' Using The Whole Animal
Interesting design concept brings out the idea of using animals to help human beings with their medical problems in a very visual way. (SF in the News)
Tongue Controller Uses Tongue Magnets
New controller shows a response time of less than a second and one hundred percent accuracy; that's information transfer of about 150 bits per second. (SF in the News)
Genes Responsible For Brain Growth Identified
Interesting research identifies the genetic basis for brain growth and development. (SF in the News)
MEDUSA Controls Crowds By Talking Inside Their Heads
Device uses microwave audio effect in a manner similar to that proposed by the Overlords from Clarke's Childhood's End. (SF in the News)
Mr. Asahi NOT World's First Robot Bartender
Mr. Asahi may not be first, but he's a pretty slick bartender; see the Mr. Asahi video for a view of the future of your bar or pub. (SF in the News)
Lilypad City Floating Island Concept
Great-looking concept design by a Belgian architect shows sustainable living in giant floating ocean cities. (SF in the News)
'Brain Breathalyzer' For Astronauts
Tiny brain scanner uses special technology to sense despondency, depression and mental fatigue in astronauts. (SF in the News)
Interesting cellphone app will let you find out where the wild things are - the places where the most people are congregating in a city. (SF in the News)
Background Draw-a-Secret (BDAS) Makes Graphical Passwords
Interesting security technique that takes advantage of the greater ease with which we all recall pictures, as opposed to the kind of alphanumeric strings IT techs want us to use for passwords. (SF in the News)
Human-Pig Hybrids Approved In UK
The correspondence between this research and Reynold's book is a bit ominous; even the timing is right. I'm sure the proper safeguards will be taken. (SF in the News)
Sensor Vest For Computer Games?
Prototype uses sensors woven into the fabric to sense stress and muscle excitation levels. (Beyond Technovelgy)
Anti-Paparazzi Sunglasses DIY Counter Surveillance
Nifty how-to video shows how to frustrate those cameras that are constantly trying to get a picture of your face. (Beyond Technovelgy)
Any thoughts on what kind of music would be best for a robotic band? (Beyond Technovelgy)
ID-U Biometrics Eye Tracking Signature
Interesting new method of secure identification gathers a unique response to stimulus each time; old data cannot be copied and presented to the system. (Beyond Technovelgy)
Foldit - Design Proteins With Online Game
Amazing game lets online gamers participate in evolution; can you design a better protein? With video. (Beyond Technovelgy)
Acoustic Cloak Research Turns Practical
Creating sonically invisible pillars in concert halls would probably confuse the dickens out of bats, but music lovers would like it. (Beyond Technovelgy)
A device that output specified odors. From the 1932 story Brave New World (new Technovelgy item)
Feelies (Feely) by Aldous Huxley
Device adds the tactile element to entertainment. From the 1932 story Brave New World (new Technovelgy item)
Early reference to a robot performing the functions of a security guard. From the 1955 story The Hood Maker ('Immunity') (new Technovelgy item)
Probe Screen Hood by Philip K. Dick
A device that blocks attempts to see into the contents of the brain mind. From the 1955 story The Hood Maker ('Immunity') (new Technovelgy item)
A genetic chimera of pig and human. From the 2002 story Redemption Ark (new Technovelgy item)
An augmented representation of space battles. From the 2004 story The Algebraist (new Technovelgy item)
Specially treated paper that forms material as hard as steel. From the 1866 story Robur-the-Conqueror (new Technovelgy item)
Worldweb All Thing by Dan Simmons
Network connects billions of people in real time. From the 1989 story Hyperion (new Technovelgy item)