Farscape Comes to DVD
July 3, 2009 by Cynthia
Muppets. . . In. . . Space. . . .space. . space. . space. . Okay, so there are also a few humans on board like Stargate stars Ben Browder and Claudia Black, but Farscape will always mean Muppets to me and now it’s going to be a mega DVD.
Farscape ran on SCI FI Channel from 1999-2003 and it developed quite a fan following. The series revolved around a lone astronaut (Browder) who falls through a wormhole and lands in the middle of an intergalactic war. Produced by the Jim Henson Company, the show had two animatronic puppets in the main cast as well as several humans in alien garb, also designed by the talented people at Henson’s Creature Shop.
In honor of the 10th Anniversary of the series, A&E Home Entertainment is releasing Farscape: The Complete Series Megaset. The DVD package will include the entire sereis run along with an amazing amount of bonus features including commentary, interviews, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. They’ll be jump-starting the promotional efforts with a Farscape panel at this year’s Comic Con which will include executive producer Brain Henson, creator Rockne O’Bannon, and stars Ben Browder and Claudia Black.
The DVD release is scheduled for November 2009 and remember, “you gotta know how deep the doo-doo is, if you’re gonna dig your way out.”
24 June 2008 - Universal City, California - Ben Browder and Claudia Black. 34th Annual Saturn Awards held at Universal Hilton Hotel. Photo Credit: Charles Harris/AdMedia
Syfy Asks You To Imagine Greater
July 2, 2009 by Cynthia
With the switch rapidly approaching, the channel formerly known as Syfy has released a charming new promo video that is meant to capture the feel of the new brand.
I’ve always enjoyed SCI FI’s imaginative ads, seeing people and things transform right before your very eyes. This new promo takes it even one step further as some of the network’s stars come out to party in a truly magical castle.
The biggest difference I see between this new promo and the old ones, is the warmth and happy tone. The original ads were cool but always very sterile and simple — truly capturing the feel of modern science fiction. This new ad is full of warm colors and detailed images that are constantly changing and moving. It feels more modern fairy tale and less a trip into space and you gotta love the Escher homage with the cast of Warehouse 13.
It’s all very SteamPunk meets Alice in Wonderland and I can totally get behind that. Click here to watch the House of Imagination video at the new Syfy.com.
I think it’s more fun to spot the stars Waldo style, but if you want a list in order of appearance, it’s under the cut.
Alien Nation Reboot in the Works at Syfy
In 1988, James Caan and Mandy Patinkin starred in the scifi version of Lethal Weapon, playing a human cop with an alien partner in the movie 
Alien Nation. But if you ask the average guy on the street, he probably won’t remember any of that, but he will remember Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint playing those same roles on the TV series.
Though the show was canceled after only one season, it spawned a popular series of TV movies and novels so it’s not surprising that Syfy is looking to the series as its next big reboot.
The original Alien Nation was ahead of its time with its scifi take on the problems of discrimination, immigration and segregation. Smarter than most people remember, the series revolved around the concept of a non-invasive alien invasion. These aliens were all slaves, who end up on Earth when their mothership crashes in the desert outside of Los Angeles.
Syfy Announces Their Comic Con Schedule
June 30, 2009 by Cynthia
Making the brand change from SCI FI to Syfy, the (insert name here) channel promises a big show at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. In addition to the usual panels, they’ll be taking over the restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel, and re-branding it as Eureka’s “Cafe Diem” for the duration of the convention. This will act as their convention hub and I imagine that will mean lots of goodies and fun for everyone who stops by. (SCI FI Channel Photo: Liane Hentscher)
They have some great guests and lots of sneak peeks at many of their new TV shows.
Also note that the Sanctuary panel is listed as being at the Bayside Hilton — leading me to wonder if more of the events are going to be held off site to reduce crowding. Nice idea, but getting from there to the Warehouse 13 panel that follows is going to be a nightmare.
Here’s the full listing:
Friday, July 24
10:30 AM-11:30 AM Stargate Universe
Time for Some Sci Fi Tweets
Here’s a nice new cast photo from Warehouse 13 along with a roundup of interesting scifi tweets from Twitter!
Craig Engler Nice interview with Saul Rubinek from Warehouse 13, talks about his love of sci-fi (Asimov & Bradbury fan) - http://bit.ly/XxT5X
Craig Engler 12 real-life locations used to film various sci-fi/fantasy films like Blade Runner & Terminator: http://bit.ly/1g4Vht
True Blood Net True Blood vs Twilight The Battle Is On! http://bit.ly/14I5Yp
Comic Con 09 Zombie Walk in San Diego at Comic Con! @sdzombiewalk http://www.myspace.com/sandiegozombiewalk
NathanFillion Spent the evening at Bungie playing ODST. Bungie, and ODST, are everything I dreamed they would be… and they had pizza.
MSiega Three more shooting days left on Dexter then I am off to Atlanta next week to start prepping Vampire Diaries.
sepinwall New blog post: ‘Doctor Who: The Next Doctor’ review - Sepinwall on TV http://tinyurl.com/kpwdln
MishaCollins Just woke up & I’m still groggy. I see it’s 11:27PM and the calendar says it’s the 24th of June. Looks like I’ve been sleeping for 5 days.
WAREHOUSE 13 — Pictured: (l-r) Saul Rubinek as Artie Nelsen, Joanne Kelly as Myka Bering, Eddie McClintock as Pete Lattimer — SCI FI Channel Photo: Justin Stephens
The Challenges of Warehouse 13
June 23, 2009 by Cynthia
Last week, I was on a very lengthy conference call with the people behind Warehouse 13. Lengthy, because these guys bantered like brothers and sisters. There were so many jokes and barbs flying between Exec Producers Jack Kenny and David Simpkins and stars Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, I don’t know how the transcriptionist kept it all straight! They were a delight to listen to and I’ll be giving you the highlights as we head toward the premiere of Warehouse 13 on July 7.
First up, producer Jack Kenny talks about the challenges of breathing life into Warehouse 13.
“Any new series involves similar challenges, you know, where are we going to go, are we going to arc out the first season or is each episode going to be individual? What [are we] learning about these characters and these people.
Eureka Returns with Welcome Back Carter
When we last left the town of Eureka, Sheriff Carter (Colin Ferguson) was on the outs and Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) announced that she was pregnant. Now Eureka is coming back and they’re picking up exactly where they left off so you won’t be left wanting! (SPOILERS)
Having been fired from his job as Sheriff, Carter gets a new job with Homeland Security which means packing up and leaving Eureka. Daughter Zoe is none to happy about the prospect of leaving her school and her friends — actually, no one is happy about the idea of Carter leaving, including Carter. But what’s an ex-Sheriff to do?
Carter’s replacement comes in the form of Sheriff Andy, a high-level, computer driven, humanoid simulation. He’s smart, polite, dedicated and intolerable! But the real question is, can he handle the unique problems that arise in a town like Eureka?
Ghost Hunters International Returns to SyFy
June 22, 2009 by Cynthia
Summer is the perfect time for grilling, getting together with the gang and ghost hunting!
Ghost Hunters International is back with all new episodes starting July 8 with a trip to an 18th century prison in Wicklow, Ireland.
The website for the site calls it an exhibit in crime, cruelty and misery — one of the most haunted places in Ireland. Right next to a link that says it’s a great place for children’s birthday parties! Sounds like my kind of place.
After experiencing all Wicklow has to offer, they’ll be on their way to Chili, Ireland, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy and Argentina. Just don’t get too attached to these globe-trotting ghost getters, because there are only six new episodes this season.
This time around Robb Demarest and Dustin Pari will be joined by two returning vets and two new hunters. Here’s the lowdown on the team from SCI FI Channel.
Bye Bye SCI FI
June 22, 2009 by Cynthia
This week SCI FI Channel begins their big SyFy rebranding push and that means prizes and freebies from coast to coast.
The two biggest pushes will be in Manhattan and at the San Diego Comic Con.
For the next year, folks at Union Station and Times Square will be given free WyFy from SyFy. Rockefellar Center will be the home of the new interactive Imagination Park and SyFy will sponsor a Tim Burton retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in November.
SyFy also promises to have a larger presence at Comic Con this year, which I imagine will lead to some fabulour giveaways. They’ve always been generous with the goodies, so I can’t wait to see what they have this time around. The SCI FI booth at Comic Con is designed to allow people to sit on it and I hope that doesn’t change as it’s the best place to perch when you can’t take another step on that showroom floor.
Step Inside Warehouse 13
June 15, 2009 by Cynthia
They say there are two kinds of writers in this world; Plotters and Pantsers. These same labels can be applied to Secret Service agents as is the case with Myka and Pete.
Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) is a plotter. She uses color-coded charts, insists on dozens of dry runs and takes precautions against even the most remote possibility of danger. This is the President’s life she’s protecting so nothing is left to chance.
Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) is a pantser, as in “seat-of-pants” kind of guy. He depends on his instincts to get him through and he’s happy to abandon any plan if a better opportunity presents itself. He’s the poster child for ‘leap before you look.’
Their assignment? Head up the security detail for a Presidential reception at an art museum. Simple, right? Until a worker cuts himself and bleeds on an ancient Aztec stone head which comes to life and puts the worker under a murderous, hypnotic spell.
Yeah, I hate when that happens.