Category: News

Back to the Futurama

  • News
  • July 29, 2007

futuramairobot-8267542In the future, there will be no graves and nothing will stay dead. Motor-shock is coming.

The first original Futurama production since the series was canceled in 2003 will be a feature-length film, Futurama: Bender’s Big Score that will go directly to DVD and be available on November 27th. The new film features the show’s original cast and crew, and its release marks the second time that a Fox cartoon series has spawned a direct-to-DVD film after cancellation (Family Guy: Stewie Griffin, the Untold Story was the first). Previews were shown at SDCC with the crowd going nuts, as you’d expect.

Fox is planning to release three additional Futurama direct-to-DVD features during 2008, Futurama: The Beast With a Billion Backs, Futurama: Bender’s Game, and Futurama: Into the Wild, Green Yonder.  In addition to the original cast each Futurama film will feature guest stars.  Al Gore, Sarah Silverman and Coolio appear in Bender’s Big Score.

The release of the direct-to-DVD features doesn’t affect the previously announced plans to revive Futurama in episodic form on Comedy Central in 2008 (see "Futurama Revived"). The producers of the series plan on chopping up the features, adding new material and airing the resulting reconfigured new 22-minute episodes on Comedy Central during 2008 along with reruns of the original 72 episodes, much as they did with Stewie Griffin, the Untold Story. Click here to see a faux trailer.

When San Diego is too far away…

  • News
  • July 29, 2007

Yeah, I guess I’m missing San Diego, in more ways than one.  But then again, they’re missing the Del Close improv marathon here in NYC, so that makes us even.  Not.  Ah well, on to this past week’s ComicMix columns:

I haven’t even begun to keep track of all Mellifluous Mike Raub‘s Big ComicMix Broadcasts, so why don’t you do it for me?:

Tomorrow’s probably going to be a slow day while my colleagues travel and sleep, so it’s a good time to get all caught up!

SDCC Day 4 on The Big ComicMix Broadcast!

The San Diego Comic-Con 2007 goes out with a mega-size bang as they crank out yet another sold out day, and we at The Big ComicMix Broadcast do our best to close off all our loose ends. SciFi is reviving FARSCAPE … but at least one cast member isn’t ready, we uncover a great forgotten comic series … direct from the artist and then we evesdrop as DC’s writers and editors cop to their biggest mistakes.

PRESS THE BUTTON and let’s take this puppy home!

Big News From San Diego

  • News
  • July 29, 2007

A few news items of note from the various panels and such at the San Diego Comic-Con:

•    Marv Wolfman and George Pérez will be reunited to do Teen Titans issue #50.

•    Warren Ellis will be taking over for Joss Whedon on Astonishing X-Men next year. The title will change to Astonishing X-men: Second Stage.

•    And per some confused mumbling of Dan DiDio at a panel on Thursday: there is a new All Star Squadron project in the works. However, it will not be tales of WWII, because as Mike Carlin summed up: “Um, Hitler lost.”

In movie/teevee news, the DVD Sneak Peek panel offered up some details on upcoming DVD packages but started off with Javier Soto describing next year’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army as “Hellboy plus Pan’s Labyrinth on steroids.”

It seemed that the opinion of the panelists was that there isn’t much new left to do in the world of special features and they are all working finding a way to provide content on DVDs that goes beyond deleted scenes. And rather want to bring audiences a more than what they got in the theater (or on TV) in the feature.

With The 4400 Season 4 DVD, we’ll also be getting the season finale director’s cut.

Twin Peaks: The Definitive Collection (out October 30th) will have both pilots, the complete series, “tons of extras including deleted scenes” and a new documentary featuring interviews with the cast today in a roundtable discussion with David Lynch. In the clip that was shared with Comic-Con attendees, Lynch came off more than a little creepy-old-man-ish when discussing a kissing scene with actress Madchen Amick, Kyle MacLachlan mutely sitting to her right all the while.

The biggest treat of the panel was learning about what will be in the box for December 18th Blade Runner: The Final Cut.  The 5-disc box set will have five versions of the film:

•    The new cut Final Cut version, which includes a CGI correction of the scene where Zhora goes through the plate glass, Joanna Cassidy came back and refilmed for it.

•    The international cut, which was described as "with extra violence."

•    The Original 1982 version

•    The 1992 Director’s Cut

•    Work print

All will feature 16 x 9 aspect ratio and 5:1 audio.

Also in the set is the all new three and a half-hour long documentary “Dangerous Days.” And, yes, they got Harrison Ford to do it.

There will be a theatrical release of The Final Cut version in October in New York and Los Angeles, which might put something or other in contention for 2007 Oscars. Maybe.

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People Reading Books

  • News
  • July 29, 2007

eyre-2938818The Seattle Times reviews Jasper Fforde’s “Thursday Next” series.

Slate looks at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Agony Column reviews Alan Campbell’s Lye Street, a novella-as-a-book prequel to Scar Night.

Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist reviews Jeff Somers’s The Electric Church.

Blogcritics has what I think is their sixth review for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Honestly, I can’t keep track any more.

Book Fetish reviews a three-author linked erotic romance anthology called Hell on Heels. (Oh my God, the Twayne Triplets are back…and this time they’re porn!)

Bookgasm reviews Warren Hammond’s KOP.

Bookgasm also reviews A Dog About Town, a murder mystery told from the POV of a thinking dog, which is fantasy enough for my book.

The Henry Herald of Georgia reviews Kull: Exile of Atlantis by Robert E. Howard.

American Chronicle reviews Harry Potter and the…Half-Blood Prince. (ha HA! Fooled you!)

(more…)

Overheard at San Diego, part 5

  • News
  • July 28, 2007

cherrydarling-8053988People keep talking, and we keep taking notes…

"One guy asked me if I had my leg amputated to get the job." — Lacey Henderson, pictured at right, who’s been appearing as Cherry Darling to promote the DVD release of Grindhouse. Via USA Today.

"How did they make her look like that?" — A mother with two kids looking at Ms. Henderson working at the booth.

"How do they post for a job like that?" — ComicMix‘s Matt Raub

At the pilot screening for ABC’s Pushing Daisies:

Audience member: "There seem to a be a lot of symetric and palindromic references in this show — can you explain?"

(long pause from the writer, director, and cast)

Chi McBride: "Ummm, what?  What did you say? This is COMIC CON.  Repeat your question."

In the hall between panels: "It’s so crowded I couldn’t even get into the ballrooms for the studio panels, and I’m writing for Entertainment Weekly!"

“Hellboy plus Pan’s Labyrinth on steroids.” —Javier Soto describing next year’s Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Introducing themselves at the GameTap Tomb Raider Re-envisioned panel:

"I’m Stan Lee." –Warren Ellis

"I’m Jack Kirby." –Brian Pulido

"I’m Peter Chung." –Peter Chung

Contributing spies: Kai Connolly, Adriane Nash.

sdcc2007mystique-8078461

Overheard at San Diego, part 4

  • News
  • July 28, 2007

sdcc2007mystique-8078461Can we hear anything over this much hubbub? Of course we can… and our spies are everywhere.

Around aisle 2300: "I can prove the convention is too crowded. When a pretty girl walks by, and a second pretty girl walks by before you’re done staring at the first one, it’s too crowded."

Marv Wolfman: "The biggest celebrity here is Stan Lee. Everybody, young, old, knows who Stan Lee is, what he looks like, and what kind of personality he is. And of course everybody knows that Stan Lee created Superman."

At the "Writing About Comics" panel:

Tom Spurgeon: "I hope words continue to remain prominent in this field, becuase if we all go to video, I’m screwed."

Glenn Hauman: "Can I quote you?"

Tom: "Sure, and then I’ll link to you."

Douglas Wolk: "Good, and then Dirk can link to you linking to him."

 Douglas Wolk: "I’m a little tired of all these comics that want to a movie when they grow up."

Nisha Gopalan, EW: "Isn’t that Virgin Comics’ business model?"

Tom Spurgeon: "It’s a little amazing that Variety and Enterainment Weekly are covering comics, when distribution is so sporadic– it’s writing about this great book that you might be able to find on such and such a time and maybe in such and such a place."

In the audience at "The Black Panel":

"What is Marv Wolfman doing on this panel?"

"He’s a token."

Link-o-Rama

  • News
  • July 28, 2007

fighting-1106608Times Online looks back at the British ‘80s craze for Fighting Fantasy.

The Millions has a looooong post (no, really, it’s long) about Harry Potter from a children’s librarian’s perspective.

Queen guitarist Brian May has gone back to school — to finish his doctorate in astrophysics. That’s a smart move – you always want to have a day-job to fall back on, if the music thing doesn’t work out.

John Scalzi has discovered a typewriter that sends e-mail.

Lou Anders explains patiently that SF is not dead. (Me, I’d have just pointed out that anyone who goes to a Nebula Awards Weekend in New York City – horribly expensive New York City, not to mention nightlife-dead Way the Hell Downtown NYC – and expects the demographic not to be “middle-aged to old” is deluding himself about the interests and finances of young SF-reading people.)

And you’ve heard about NASA’s drunk astronauts by now, yes?

(more…)

The defining picture of San Diego Comic Con 2007

  • News
  • July 28, 2007

4daymemsdcc-4381381This shot was taken outside the convention center Thursday morning. The sign he’s holding reads:

"FOR SALE: 4-day Membership. Best offer."

And this was before we found out that the individual days had also sold out. I wonder what he got as his final price.

On the other hand, perhaps it’s best not to know — if it was known, the Con might consider that the opening price for a membership next year.

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