Posted by Tim Sheehy on Sep 26, 2011 in Dr. Who, Fandom
Fans never cease to amaze me. For those of you who are scratching your head, you’re looking at a poster mock-up for the fictional 1960s British television series Inspector Spacetime, seen in last weeks episode of Community. Upon witnessing the terrible acting and low-budget special effects, Abed proclaims it to be the best thing he’s ever seen — which, ironically, is the exact same reaction I had the first time I watched Doctor Who. So, the series supposedly follows the Inspector as he travels through time and space in his red DARSIT, while saving the universe from creatures like the dreaded Blogons, or Digifleet. Within a week, the series already has its own TVtropes page, cosplayers, and fan-made merchandise. As a friend pointed out, the joke was clearly meant to parody the Doctor’s fans more than his series, but I suppose that’s what makes it so great. There’s multiple layers to the humor. Let’s just hope the producers keep the joke running through out the season.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 17, 2011 in Television
Duncan Jones’ second sci-fi film, the actually-excellent Source Code, was a sleeper hit in theaters this year. Now, it appears that CBS is trying to bring some of that appeal to the small screen with a TV series based on the film. The series will reportedly follow three former federal agents who take advantage of “Source Code” tech to try to unravel the mysteries behind tragic events by jumping into the consciousness of people caught in them. Mark Gordon will serve as producer, and Lie to Me and Lost scribe Steve Maeda is set to write the pilot. I get the feeling we’ll be hearing the phrase “I liked this show better when it was called Quantum Leap” a lot in the next year or so. Read more…
So can cats for that matter. That’s why I’ve fallen in love with Afflack’s Japanese commercials. Admittedly, I’ve been obsessed with them ever since I stumbled across their original “Maneki Neko Dakku” CM months back. Something about a dancing cat and duck makes me swoon every time I see it. It helps that the song is really cute and catchy as well. In fact, it was so catchy that the company released a full version of it complete with a music video. While I’m sure these ads would probably flop in the US, it’s amazing to see how it has caught on in Japan. The latest commercials feature ARASHI’s Sho Sakurai and idol/actress Aoi Miyazaki playing a duet on an organ while the duck and cat join in. It’s terribly cute, and will probably have children all over Japan begging their parents to switch their providers as a result. Then again, when it comes to Japan, cute is always chic.
This is the most adorable thing I’ve seen all weekend. I’ve heard of cats that bark, but a dog that meows? First of all, I love Shiba Inus. Aside from simply being the cutest dogs on earth — debatable, sure, but I’m not about to concede on that — they always seem so friendly and peaceful. As soon as it started to meow in this clip, I just lost it. Apparently the puppy picked up the habit from his feline companion who you’ll see in some of those photos later in the video, but seeing as it does sound a little more like “nyan” than “meow,” I have to wonder if someone else was giving it lessons. For those who are curious or confused, “nyan,” is sort of the Japanese equivalent of “meow.” Nevertheless, it’s totally cute. Also, note the overly dramatic music and constant reaction shot from the host/celebrity guest of the week — god, I love Japanese television. Read more…
My Little Pony is miraculously en vogue again. It’s almost like we’ve … traveled back in time, much like Amy and the Doctor routinely do! Clearly DeviantArt user EatToast has the right idea on how to celebrate such an amazing coincidence — by converting My Little Pony toys to horrific recreations of Doctor Who villains. This particular model is an Ood-pony, an ungulate version of the creepy aliens from that weird space-Hell episode from the tenth doctor’s run. He’s done a few more, too, including a Cyberman-pony and a Silence-pony. You know, come to think of it, doesn’t “brony” sound like the name of an alien race? Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 9, 2011 in Television
I know! It’s crazy, right? But we have definitive proof that Syfy has actually not cancelled a science-fiction television show. In fact, the news is even better — they’ve gone so far as to renew said science-fiction television show! The show in question is newcomer Alphas, which I’ve never seen but like anyway due to the presence of master actor David Strathairn. Perhaps this could be the dawn of a new era for Syfy, a programming era of unprecedented not-wrestling. We’ll see. Read more…
Not even the Doctor’s too old for Legos. Thanks to the guys at Entertainment Earth, even you can your favorite Timelord to the set of your choice. While its not an official Lego product, these Doctor Who minifigures are fully compatible and come ready to join any set right out of the box. In addition to bearing the likeness of all eleven doctors, each comes with their own unique sonic screwdriver to match. Pretty sweet, right? On top of that, the box itself comes shaped like a Tardis, making it that much harder to throw away. I have a bad habit of keeping a boxes, but I imagine if every toy I came across were like that, I’d practically horde them. The Doctor Who Eleven Doctors mini-figure box set retails for $39.99 and is currently in stock, so go ahead and pick yours up today.
It’s been a good weekend for Neat Futurama Stuff. Via io9, we learned about these totally cool and completely bizarre Futurama character busts with a real-life twist by DeviantArt user Artanis One. I actually really like this Dr. Zoidberg; he looks like he’d be right at home in a Mass Effect game in this particular iteration. Honestly, I don’t think Professor Farnsworth even looks that out-of-place as a a real person; he’s already so old that there’s only so much exaggeration you can even do. As for Leela, well, I think it’s a little weirder to see a cyclops with a realistic human head than it is to see one with the Groeningian Overbite. Read more…
According to the much-loved cartoon Futurama, a lot has changed in the year 3000, but at least one thing remains the same: greed is still alive and well! And you can take 80s Guy’s financial advice to heart when you pick up the Futurama edition of Monopoly, which comes out in November. Everything has been given a Futurama makeover, including the railroads (now modes of travel like the Travel Tube and Robot Santa’s Sleigh) and locations (own New New York and Robot Hell, among others). Even the player pieces are now show staples like Leela’s Boot, the Planet Express Ship, and Fry’s Dog (nooooo!). Just don’t be surprised when invaders from Omicron Persei VI invade your board and enslave you. I don’t think that’s actually part of the game, but then again, this is Futurama. Read more…
I’ve been wanting my own sonic screwdriver for awhile but I’ve been having trouble deciding on which model to go with. While I love slick silver design of Eccleston and Tennant’s model, it lacks the nifty little claw grip. On the other hand, Smith’s has a bit too much bronze for me. I suppose I could have just bought the interchangeable model that Michael mentioned the other month, but then it dawned it on me — what good is a sonic screwdriver if it doesn’t actually work? It won’t stop a Christmas tree from spinning out of control, or open a locked door at the touch of a button, but this sonic screwdriver screwdriver might do the trick! In addition to being a perfect replica of the Eleventh Doctor’s screwdriver, it comes with an interchangeable phillips and flat-head attachments, allowing you to actually use it to fix things. Brilliant, right? The best part, is that it only retails for $30, that’s only $5 more than the standard replica. Better yet, it still lights up and buzzes. Head over to ThinkGeek to order yours today.
The CW has the record for longest-running superhero TV show in Smallville, but now that Superman’s formative years are up, they want to bring another DC Comics property to television. This time, it’s Deadman, the body-jumping ghost hero. And who better to bring him to life on TV than former Supernatural showrunner Eric Kripke? Nobody, that’s who, and CW execs agree. Details are scarce, but the series is definitely being developed, and may indeed be only one of several DC properties the CW is pursuing for an adaptation. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 25, 2011 in Anime, Dr. Who
It doesn’t feature Matt Smith, and might lack in the production department, but this fan-made 80’s style Doctor Who anime has its moments. The artist responsible for the video also noted that if you’re the least bit confused about the Cybermen and their use of the word “excellent” or The Doctor’s martial arts, then you’ve been missing out on the classics. Of course, they also insist that sitting though those classics will instantly make you more handsome, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing handsome about sticky celery or poorly knit scarves. Nevertheless, the video’s a nifty idea. Now, if only Japan would make a proper Doctor Who anime. That’d be awesome.
As many of you are already aware, Netflix recently secured the license to stream every Star Trek television series ever created via their online service. With the exception of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, every episode ofthe original Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise have been added to its online library, so I’ve spent the last few months slowly feeding my craving for classic Trek. While Netflix subscribers may have to wait until October for Deep Space Nine, Amazon.com announced that every series, including Deep Space Nine, is now available to stream via their Amazon Prime service.
“Yeah, we live on Fourth Earth now. You haven’t heard of it? Yeah, of course you haven’t. It’s really indie. It’s like Third Earth before it sold out, you know?” That’s the conversation I figure I’d be having with these hipster Thundercats, drawn up by Zano over on DeviantArt. It’s got all the quality ingredients of a hipsterized character — your thick-rimmed glasses, your sloughing-off-the-shoulder girls’ top, your v-neck. I think the only thing we’re really missing here is a keffiyeh. But I’ll take it. Man. Imagine the kind of vinyls you could find with Sight Beyond Sight.
Doctor Who — a worldwide phenomenon. A genre classic. A pop culture treasure. It only makes sense that, eventually, someone would convert all of the series main characters to cats. I think it’s some kind of fandom law nowadays. These particular cats come from artist Jenny Parks, who’s recreated all of the eleven Doctors in eerily accurate feline form. The Tom Baker Cat is particularly spot-on, I think. I think I’ve met that cat. And the Christopher Eccleston one is, of course, the black … er, cat of the family. Read more…
I confess that of the 16.2 zillion reruns I caught as a kid, the 1950s’The Lone Ranger isn’t one I particularly took to— I was more of a Zorro girl— but plenty of nerds grew up with Kemo Sabe and Tonto, whether as a new radio/television series or in rerun form, and I was certainly interested in Johnny Depp’s take on the character (I haven’t reached critical mass on Depp flicks, apparently).
Posted by Michael Sacco on Aug 13, 2011 in Television
Sometimes by boss sends me links via email with a request to feature them on the site. Normally they’re self-explanatory — here’s a cool Star Wars case mod someone made, or here’s a neat artist — but sometimes they’re mystifying even to me. Take the Thunderbirds Lab, for example. It’s a website for a pharmaceutical group that lets you take some Thunderbirds-inspired tests, play a game or two, and create a neat custom Thunderbirds badge for yourself. Of course, it’s also nearly 100% in Japanese, which made the process a little more difficult for me, admittedly. But if you speak Japanese, you’ll be in puppet heaven, and you may be able to fumble your way through (as I did) even if you don’t. Thunderbirds are go! Read more…
Err, you know what I mean. Another science show. It’s totally different than the other one; this one deals with horrific experiments, fringe science, and … okay, okay, I get it. But this one’s about real science! That’s right, Fringe‘s John Noble will be hosting a new show on the Science channel called Dark Matters, dealing with the dark side of science using real historical examples. The first six episode descriptions read like Fringe summaries, which is, of course, wildly appropriate. Expect to see body transplants, reanimation, and more, with Noble’s trademark mug to guide you through the creepiness. Who could ask for anything more? Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Aug 10, 2011 in Television
If you’re a fan of Syfy’s Eureka, you’re probably already sulking about this, but it wouldn’t be fair to ignore this piece of sad news. Syfy announced this week that they’ve reversed — yes, read that again, reversed — their decision to renew the series for another season. Last week the network announced plans to renew the series with six more episodes, and had even denied rumors that pegged those episodes as being the end of the series. To add insult to injury, the fifth season of the show hasn’t even aired yet and will finish filming later this week. Naturally the writers will be forced to rewrite what has now become the series finally before it they shoot this Thursday. Read more…
The results for tonight’s Teen Choice Awards— established by Fox in ’99 —will make most full-grown geeks eyes’ roll: the befanged stars of The Vampire Diaries and Twilight took home awards, as did the wizards of Harry Potter and the awfully attractive and talented “outcasts” of Glee.
But maybe instead of rolling our eyes, we should consider opening them. Read more…
It’s a scary prospect for fans, but it looks as though Torchwood may be coming to an end sooner than we thought. No, the fate of the show won’t be determined by its ratings, or contractual disputes, but rather the whim of series creator Russell T. Davies. Recently, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht stated that their development deal wouldn’t guarantee a fifth season and that ultimately it would be up to Davies himself as to whether he intends to continue with production after Miracle Day concludes later this year. Davies has previously stated that he may move on having recently grown tired of Science Fiction in general. While I feel its safe to say that Doctor Who will continue regardless of his involvement, the same can’t be said of Torchwood — a property that he himself created. I had really hoped that moving production of the series stateside would lead to great things, but I have to admit that as a recent fan of the show, it feels as though the carpet is being pulled out from under my feet. I would hope that many of you feel the same way, and thankfully this isn’t set in stone. The fate of the series remains to be seen. If the end is near, at least we’ll see it coming.
Marvel’s film universe is working out pretty well for them, with all of the Avengers setup films released and the team-up flick ready to go for 2012, but Marvel’s not getting complacent. They’re ready to go after another media format: television! Marvel Television head Jeph Loeb confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con that four live-action shows are currently in development: The Hulk, AKA Jessica Jones (otherwise known as Alias), Cloak & Dagger, and Mockingbird. Imprint fans will be happy to know that Luke Cage and Carol Danvers will indeed be making appearances in AKA Jessica Jones. But wait! There’s more! There’s also new Marvel animation hitting the small screen, like Ultimate Spider-Man, an animated version of Joss Whedon’s well-received run on Astonishing X-Men, and a Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H series. That last one will have pretty much every Hulk permutation imaginable, from Red Hulk to She-Hulk, all on the same team. Whole lotta smashin’ goin’ on. Read more…
Futurama is definitely a rare breed of television show, in that it survived cancellation and returned to the airwaves as a great success. What makes it even more amazing, of course, is that it had been canceled for seven years. After its wildly popular comeback season, Fox granted the show another year on the air, and as of right now, interest in the show shows no sign of petering off. In fact, Fox announced at San Diego Comic-Con today that Futurama was renewed for not one, but two more seasons. It’s heartening to know that in an age of brilliant shows canceled before their time, a show like Futurama can succeed and even thrive. Read more…
When I heard about this news, I went over to the U.S. SyFy Channel’s schedule and saw that the cable network is showing the three original Indiana Jones flicks, National Treasure, and six hours of Hollywood Treasure, a reality show about a team of Californians who acquire and resell props and other memorabilia. Blech. Meanwhile, Canada’s Space TV is getting a reality show spotlighting actual fans.
