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.
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
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?
Welcome Back Eureka!
June 5, 2009 by Cynthia
Okay, so I’m a little early. Eureka returns to Scifi on July 10, so we’ve got a little over a month left to wait. . . well, you do. . . I have the first two episodes in my chubby little hands. I’ll have a review on those a little closer to the air date, but in the meantime here’s what you have to look forward to:
The second half of Eureka’s third season picks up from the mid-season cliffhanger with Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) being removed from his job as sheriff and Allison (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) announcing that she is expecting her recently deceased husband’s baby!
On the home front, Carter is confronted with some challenging decisions concerning daughter Zoe and he has a new love interest in the form of guest star Jamie Rae Newman.
Also, be on the lookout for homages to classic scifi movies such as The Blob and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Want to know more about the season? Check out Charlie Craig on Twitter - Charlie is the show runner on Eureka and he’s a fun read.
“Welcome Back Carter” Episode 3010 — Pictured: Collin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter — SCI FI Channel Photo: Marcel Williams
Flanigan, Helfer Guest on Warehouse 13
May 28, 2009 by Cynthia
It’s going to be an all-star scifi summer on SCI FI Channel when some of your favorite stars pop up on the new dramedy adventure Warehouse 13.
Top of the list, Stargate Atlantis’ Joe Flanigan, Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica, and one of my personal faves, James Naughton who starred in the Planet of the Apes TV series, but is more commonly known for his role on Gossip Girl.
Warehouse 13 is the story of two Secret Service agents who are assigned to guard a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanna Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the warehouse itself.
Guest Stars Include:
James Marsters, Eureka and Land of the Lost: All on SCI FI
April 24, 2009 by Cynthia
SCI FI Channel is planning a summertime bash that you won’t want to miss. It all begins on Memorial Day with a Land of the Lost Marathon! “Marshall, Will and Holly, on a routine expedition. . ” sing along. . . you know you want to! Sure it’s tied to the big screen remake starring Will Ferrell, Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) and Danny McBride but that doesn’t make me love Cha-ka any less
Next, on July 7, it’s the premiere of their new series Warehouse 13.
Two Secret Service agents find themselves abruptly transferred to a massive, top-secret storage facility in windswept South Dakota which houses every strange artifact, mysterious relic, fantastical object and supernatural souvenir ever collected by the U.S. government. The Warehouse’s caretaker Artie (Saul Rubinek) charges Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) with chasing down reports of supernatural and paranormal activity in search of new objects to cache at the Warehouse, as well as helping him to control the warehouse itself. CCH Pounder guest-stars as Artie’s boss Mrs. Federic, along with Allison Scagliotti as Claudia Donovan, a young, hip, brilliant techno-wiz.
SCI FI Channel Stars Shine
March 17, 2009 by Cynthia
On Monday, the newly christened Syfy channel (aka SCI FI Channel) held their 2009 Upfront presentation in New York. Several old familiar faces were there including Battlestar Galactica’s Mary McDonnell, Eureka’s Colin Ferguson and Sanctuary’s Amanda Tapping. 
Several new family members were on hand to promote their news shows, such as Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly from Warehouse 13. The new series, which premieres this summer is about two Secret Service
agents who are charged with collecting and protecting supernatural and mystical relics. Kind of a softer Friday the 13th, the TV Series.
Photos: Gary He for the SCI FI Channel
Sci-Fi Faves Top Nielsen DVR List
December 17, 2008 by brian
Nielsen is slowly but surely getting clued in to the significance of DVRs and has released the Top 10 shows that increased in DVR usage in 2008. It probably won’t surprise our readers that several genre shows rank among them.
Variety reports that Heroes picks up an additional 1.83 million viewers off DVR recordings, Lost gains 1.79 million, and Fringe adds 1.60 million. A second list ranked shows by the percentage of viewership increase from DVR. SCI FI Channel did very well in those ratings as Battlestar Galactica topped that list with a 53 percent increase. New show Sanctuary sees a 35 percent increase in its ratings with DVR factored in, while SCI FI Channel mainstay Eureka gains 34 percent.
Now the next step is getting network bigwigs to take notice of these numbers before dropping the axe on shows.
Pictured: Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet–NBC Photo: Adam Taylor
Eureka Getting Best Ratings Ever
September 29, 2008 by brian
Boy, Eva Thorne really is - or was, The Fixer. After a second season that some of the show’s longtime viewers felt veered too far into “doom and gloom” territory, Eureka got back to its lighthearted center. That apparently struck a ratings chord as the first half of Eureka’s third season drew its best season average to date.
The main story arc in this part of the season was Frances Fisher’s Fixer character concealing a dark secret. Her character was contrasted by lots of slapstick fun including a plot about a robotic dog show. At the end of her storyline, the diabolical Thorne was even revealed to be a reluctant sort of anti-hero whose motivations were honorable. Instead of parting as enemies, Sheriff Jack Carter even let her escape government prosecution at the cost of his job. (I’m betting he gets it back though.) It wasn’t all fun and games this year. One of the show’s main characters, Nathan Stark, met his untimely end in the first half of the season. Ratings highlights provided by SCI FI Channel’s parent company NBC Universal include:
· Eureka had its best season average ever with viewers aged 25-54, 1.56 million. That number includes full DVR playback for five of the season’s eight episodes.
· Eureka was the #1 cable entertainment program in August and September on Tuesdays for the 25-54 age range.
SCI FI Channel Photo: Liane Hentscher
Eureka Recap: From Fear to Eternity
September 24, 2008 by brian
Sheriff Carter and Allison are hot on Eva Thorne’s trail but they don’t call her The Fixer for nothing. She’s really covered her tracks. Deputy Jo and Zane find a bizarre container that’s designed to time release - something. They also discover 1,000 more containers and so they attempt to figure out what’s in the one they’ve got.
When Zoe and Lucas enter everyone’s favorite smart house, SARAH, the house force fields Zoe and says her DNA doesn’t match the Zoe in SARAH’s files. Of course, everyone thinks the house is broken. You know, just once I’d like to hear somebody in Eureka hear the ridiculous catastrophe on hand and go, ‘yeah that’s about right.’ These moments remind me of the X-Files when Scully’s had an alien baby, fought Sasquatch and done just about everything else under the sun and is somehow still skeptical.
Pictured: Salli Richardson as Allison Blake — SCI FI Channel Photo: Liane Hentscher