Author: Glenn Hauman

Chiller debuts

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

chiller-1041529Chiller, a new cable TV channel from NBC Universal, launched today. It offers horror and thriller programming like Twin Peaks, Tales From the Crypt, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery, American Gothic, Friday the 13th: The Series and other shows that never really fit on the Sci-Fi Channel. It also, as you would expect, be running movies in the same, uh, vein — Psycho, The Haunting, Showgirls, the usual.

But here’s the fun part. Earlier today, here’s what their website said tonight’s schedule was:

shinning-9130348

The Shinning? Och! The wee lad who’s been coding the website’s seen the Treehouse of Horror one taa many times! (Sadly, it’s been fixed now. Very hard to be chilling when people are laughing, I guess.)

Chiller is airing on Direct TV, channel 257; otherwise, complain to Dish TV or your local cable provider.

Ford memorial auction raises over $4000

  • News
  • March 1, 2007

Following up on our earlier post, auction coordinator Deb Geisler writes: "We’re delighted to tell you that the auction raised $4,030, which will be donated to the special fund set up by the Friends of the Minneapolis Library in Mike’s name. We had so many donations (more than 70!) that we divided the auction into a voice auction (the extravaganza portion) and a silent auction following that. NESFA will be sending the proceeds of the auction to the Friends of the Minneapolis Library shortly, and we hope it helps to engage people in the love of F&SF literature for many years to come."

To learn more about the John M. Ford Book Endowment, click here.

Arkin to Get Smart with Carell

  • Uncategorized
  • March 1, 2007

alanarkin100-4335242Fresh from their oscar-nominated performances in Little Miss Sunshine last year, Steve Carell and Alan Arkin will be appearing together in the Warner Bros. film version of Get Smart as Maxwell Smart (Secret Agent 86, as if you’d forgotten) and the Chief, respectively. Also cast in the film is Anne Hathaway as Agent 99.

But now, the really tough question — do you even try to replace Bernie Kopell as Siegfried? And Patrick Warburton, of course, is the obvious choice for Hymie the Robot.

Marvel gets Fooled

  • News
  • February 28, 2007

For those who enjoyed yesterday’s brief look at Marvel’s financials and want to see and understand more, the Motley Fool has done some of the heavy lifting for you. What’s telling is that the entire piece is spent detailing the financing behind Marvel’s movie production and licensing (which, admittedly, has been the object of speculation and is somewhat complex) but not a whit on the comics themselves.

UPDATE – Arnold Drake hospitalized

  • Uncategorized
  • February 28, 2007

Via Newsarama via Tom Spurgeon: "According to an e-mail disseminated by Ken Gale, the writer Arnold Drake was found collapsed in his home and is currently in intensive care at Cabrini Hospital." Drake is the creator of Deadman and Doom Patrol and wrote what is regarded as the first American grapic novel — with artist Matt Baker — back in 1949.

Send cards, letters and art to Arnold Drake, Cabrini Medical Center, 227 E. 19th St., New York, NY 10003.

UPDATE: Reports at 2:30 PM EST indicate Arnold is improving and should be moved out of the ICU within the next 24 hours.

More Green Lantern geopolitics

  • News
  • February 28, 2007

bengurion-9615795We bring you this from Kung-Fu Monkey John Rogers: "In researching [Blue Beetle] #14, I discovered that the Guardians of the Universe, the dudes who run the Green Lanterns — their appearance is based on Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. That means, in the DCU, the Jews just don’t control the media, they control the UNIVERSE."

Oh, I can hear the keyboards clattering away as people start rewriting their own versions of the GL Theory of Geopolitics, claiming that the Israeli flag is blue just like the Guardians’ skin, and Israel stands only because of its willpower and… hmm.

This makes the Zamarons some shiksa goddesses, nu?

Marvel’s 4th quarter

  • News
  • February 27, 2007

Here’s the good news: Marvel’s publishing segment ended 2006 on a strong note with sales up 22% to $28.6 million and operating income ahead 35% to $11.6 million in the fourth quarter. For the full year, operating income rose 21% to $44.1 million, on a 17% sales increase to $108.5 million.

Trade paperbacks and hardcovers sold into both the book channel and the direct market led the gains. In the fourth quarter, comic book sales were bolstered by sales associated with Civil War. Sales also benefited from a strong increase in custom publishing sales. Marvel said that for 2007 it expects modest top-line and bottom-line growth from the publishing division.

And if all Marvel made its money from was its publishing arm, that would be great. However, Marvel makes the vast amount of its income from licensing — and here, it got clobbered. Its fourth-quarter net sales were $25.5 million, down from $81.7 million the year-ago period.

All told, Marvel Entertainment’s fourth-quarter net income dropped to $11.7 million, or 14 cents per share, from $25.9 million, or 26 cents per share, last year.

This has led to the stock price getting hammered: Shares of the Marvel closed Monday down 95 cents, or 3.1%, at $29.96, with a further drop on Tuesday of $1.63, or 5.4%, to close at $28.33.

You will be assimilated

  • Uncategorized
  • February 27, 2007

dangerroom-3685847

Wired has started a new blog called Danger Room which, according to founder Noah Shachtman, will cover "what’s next in national security." No word about the coming Sentinel projects, or the looming human/mutant war… but they will be there.

(Via BoingBoing.)

This week in history: Babylon 5 pilot premieres

  • Uncategorized
  • February 26, 2007

b5gathering-2865336Fourteen years ago, the Babylon 5 two-hour pilot, "The Gathering", aired on the now defunct PTEN syndication network.

Created by J. Michael Straczynski before his more pronounced foray into comics with Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, and The Book of Lost Souls, the pilot has many differences between the series that would air a year later, such as makeup (see right), music (The Police’s Stewart Copeland instead of Christopher Franke), and casting.

A tragic bit of trivia: the broadcast in the New York tri-state area was delayed becuase of the first bombing of the World Trade Center fourteen years ago today, knocking out transmissions throughout the region.

Abrams to direct Trek XI — official?

  • News
  • February 26, 2007

After more rumor that what the smoke monster is on Lost, J.J. Abrams will direct the Star Trek XI movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.  Abrams had already said that he was writing the script and producing the movie for Paramount, which is re-launching the Gene Rodenberry franchise with this the 11th Star Trek feature film. 

According to an oft-repeated yet not quite officially confirmed story,the movie is a prequel, taking place prior to the time represented in the original Star Trek TV series when both James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock are at the Starfleet Academy. William Shatner had stated he was approached for a cameo.

The film is set for release November 26, 2008, just in time for the 40th anniversary of the cancellation of the original series.

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