I wonder will Sookie be able to fly. This also explains her love of skimpy clothing. Think: Tinkerbell.





Jason’s new love Crystal is a cat! I guess it can be said that Jason REALLY loves pussy. If they don’t make that joke on the show, I’ll be disappointed. Also, cats are vain, regal creatures. It’s interesting that Crystal’s family is so trailer park. My cats would not approve.





Lafayette and Jesus go on a V trip. They traveled through Jesus’s family and learned about his family of witches and healers. They also discovered some witches in Lafayette’s family tree. It was the most directed and meaningful trip that I’ve ever seen. For Jesus to have practically chastised Lafayette for being a drug dealer, he sure did seem like an expert user.


Russell Edgington. This man is a king for godssake. His murder/ rant on TV was legendary. His sleeping with a manwhore and pretending he was Talbot was not. Yay for seeing Talbot once more. Boo for being creeptacular.


My final thought is that if Eric Northman dies, the show will suffer. They just can’t do it. I don’t want them to hint at it either. All this will-making business is stressing me out. I need to know that I will see a shirtless, sometimes ass-out Eric Northman every season.



Sookie Fairy picture credit.

True Blood airs Sundays at 9/8C on HBO.
The comments are turned off because I don’t want spoilers.

[TV SHOWS]

The announcement that excited me the most is that Ed Quinn would be returning to Eureka. I saw an article on it but other than that, I can’t verify it. It’s not even on his IMDB page. The other Eureka announcement that made me happy was that Wil Wheaton and Felicia Day would be make cameos this season. There was also lots of buzz about the Eureka/ Warehouse 13 crossover episodes featuring Allison Scagliotti and Neil Grayston. It aired last week and was a lot of fun. I am also always amused that Syfy sets up Eureka‘s Cafe Diem at Comic-Con every year. EUREKA GOT A FIFTH SEASON BY THE WAY! …and we will be getting Christmas specials from both Eureka and Warehouse 13.

The next best TV announcement was that AMC is doing a WALKING DEAD TV show! I saw footage from the booth at Comic Con and I think this will be one of the best new shows on TV. I’ve been aching for something exciting and different since we can’t get anything like Star Trek on TV anymore. It’s extremely exciting that we will get zombies EVERY WEEK! The Walking Dead premieres in October this year.

The creators of Burn Notice will be making a prequel movie starring Bruce Campbell. I’m not sure how this came to be but I’ll watch it. It’s Bruce Campbell. Check out Bruce taking about it at Comic Con.

I tried to avoid the spoiler that Linda Hamilton will be Chuck’s mom this season. The news was everywhere so I gave up. I still don’t think that this was any reason to kill of Scott Bakula as Chuck’s mom. On a sexy note, the Isaiah “Old Spice Guy” Mustafah will be making an appearance on Chuck this season. With him and Brandon Routh, I’m gonna be happy girl EVERY Monday night. Chuck premieres Monday, September 20th.

There were also a lot of Dexter teasers and trailers. All of them can be seen on the Showtime website. This trailer is the most telling. I can’t wait for this season to start because I want to know how they are going to handle the fall out from last season. It looks like it could be the end of the road for our serial killer hero. Dexter premieres Sunday, September 26th.

[MOVIES]

Tron gets everyone excited. A new trailer was released at Comic Con. If you haven’t seen it, it is below. We got to see more of the world and more of the HOT costumes!

I wasn’t excited about the Thor movie until I saw the trailer. I saw a really long high quality trailer that I’ll share with you here. It’s hard to believe that Chris Hemsworth played Kirk’s daddy just a year ago. The Infinity Gaunlet was revealed in a case at Comic Con and will be seen in the Thor movie. I’m a little excited because The Infinity Gauntlet is the first comic books that I’ve ever read! I still have a six book set.

Twitter exploded when Joss Whedon announced that he will be writing and directing The Avengers movie. Ryan Reynolds got major geek cred for being able to recite The Green Lantern Oath on demand. I have to admit, it was kinda sexy. I’ve always liked him…. even in Blade: Trinity.

I believe I am the only person on the planet that’s excited about the new Resident Evil movie. There was not really squeeing going on about that. Resident Evil: Afterlife will open on September 10th and I’m looking forward to look at some serious ass-kicking. It’s going to be in 3D and IMAX!

Enjoy these “borrowed” Comic Con cosplay photos from tested.com.

The mom’s rag journalist ex-husband and his boss were sucked into the drama which includes them running from gunned men, dressing as a nun and priest in Rome, almost getting blown up in a car and now a plane ride to South America to take on The Organization.

The party girl got a way out of the freaky prison town via taxi but is now is apparently dead. Her father is an American ambassador and worked for the mysterious organization who runs the town. They have been operating for 50 years and have no name.

Turns out that Joe is one of “them”. He is friends with one of the Chinese men in the restaurant. He is also an operative of The Organization. Everyone just found this out in the latest episode.

We still aren’t sure why these people have been brought together other than them having dark secrets. Most of the secrets aren’t that dark some it’s unclear how anything will fit together. What I know for sure is that if this ends up being some sort of Lost purgatory, I’m going to write someone a very angry email.

I’ll end with some predictions. Janet’s mom is in on the kidnapping. Everyone in the town has seen something they should have. Moria is really running the whole thing.


There are 6 more episodes of Persons Unknown left. It airs on Saturdays at 8/7c on NBC.


Persons Unknown on NBC

Persons Unknown on IMDB


Catch up on Hulu.

I am super excited and highly engaged with this new season. The death of Eggs last season, left us fan girls with one less shirtless hunk to drool over. So far in season three, not only did we get a few new hunks but a whole other species; the Weres. …and why not have werewolves? Buffy had them and so does Vampire Diaries and Twilight.


It feels like the writers and producers know that we are watching and are aware that we want to be amazed, repulsed, amused and turned on. They are not disappointing me thus far. Aside from the neck-break romp with Bill and Lorena, we had an envious eyes-rolling-in-the-back-of-the-head sex scene with Tara and the new, mysterious vamp in town Franklin. Pam is enjoying a… um… treat on the desk in her office AND giving advice to baby vamp Jessica over the phone. King Russel and his lover (?) Talbot have kidnapped Bill and are serving him vampire delicacies. Apparently the whole affair has annoyed Bill because upon site of Lorena, he set her on fire… and you know the rest.





Our human stories are a little tamer. Arlene is pregnant and she think it’s Rene’s baby. Jason is still guilty over killing Eggs. I’m ready for this story to be over. It’s been going on for too long. Tara’s wrath or not-wrath against Jason will be interesting though. Jason should have really stuck with trying to be a cop. It would have been yummy to see him in uniform and a cowboy hat. Sam found his trashy family. They are already starting to cause problems for him. Sometimes you just need to let stuff go. I’m sure this story won’t turn out well. Lafayette has been gifted a car by the ever so sexy vampire Eric Northman. I have a bad feeling about that. Last but not least, Eric still in a giving mood sent Sookie a sexy werewolf protector named Alcide. I like the guy but I really wish this roll was reserved for Ed Quinn. I REALLY wish they hadn’t killed off vampire Stan. Wahhhh!


I can’t wait to see what they do next on True Blood. They can’t possibly top the latest episode but it will be fun to see them try. I have crow on stand-by for when they give us another wild WTF?!


True Blood airs Sundays at 9 pm on HBO.


Hear Hanako and I discuss the latest episode of True Blood on the Sci-Fi Party Line Podcast.

Live tweeting of #TrueBlood
http://www.bloodcopy.com/


Official True Blood Website
http://www.hbo.com/true-blood/index.html


True Blood Wiki
http://truebloodwiki.hbo.com/

For US, BBC America viewers. Please do not read this article! You are 3 episodes behind!


For UK viewers, there is one more episode left in the newest series of Doctor Who. Is Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor, YOUR Doctor yet?






In my opinion, the newest season of Doctor Who is good but failed to completely engage me. The introduction of a new Doctor always takes some adjustment especially for me because I wasn’t completely sold on the characters from the beginning. They have grown on me now. I like the Doctor and Amy but when my favorite characters is River Song and not the Doctor, there’s trouble.





What I like


Initially, I found it hard to relate to the new Doctor and Amy. Matt Smith had a rocky start for me but I think he has finally found his stride. He also has great comedic timing and uses himself as a prop. Smith owns the role and plays it with an unexpected maturity. I appreciate that. He IS the Doctor for me now.


The episodes that I most looked forward to were “Eleventh Hour“, “Time of Angels”, “Flesh and Stone”, “The Pandorica Opens” and “Big Bang”. The episodes that surprised me were “The Beast Below”, “Vincent and The Doctor” and “The Lodger”. It surprised me that I liked these seemingly filler episodes so much. I love the sets and story of “The Beast Below”. It was a sweet stand alone tale that I didn’t mind. “Vincent and The Doctor” made me cry on both viewings. It was such a powerful episode and definitely reminded me of the classic Who episode “City of Death”. I liked “The Lodger” because we got to see the Doctor out of his element. He wasn’t completely in control and it made for good TV. It didn’t realize how cute Matt Smith was until he got out of the tweed jacket and into a towel!


The props, sets, special effects, make-up and costumes are phenomenal. Whether they go backwards or forwards through time, there is ALWAYS something spectacular to look at. The Doctor’s wardrobe of a stuffy tweed jacket and bow tie makes him iconic and works. Amy’s wardrobe is always interesting. Sometimes they make her frumpy but most of the time she looks stylish and modern. I’ve disliked cowboy boots all my life. I won’t say that I’ll wear them now but Amy definitely made me re-think their value!


As far as episodes go, I loved “The Beast Below” because I love space station sets. The scary staring clowns in the glass boxes, the masks and robes were the spice that made this episode engaging and fun to watch. The costuming in “Victory of the Daleks” were my favorite because I absolutely love that fashion era. Forget that the Daleks bore the crap out of me, the special effects in this episodes were of theatrical quality. The Silurians of “The Hungry Earth” and “Cold Blood” were the best use of make up and prosthetics that I’ve seen on a TV show in a very long time. They reminded me of a green version of Deep Space Nine’s Jem’Hadar. Not only did the Silurians look good but their underground habitat was amazing. As an honorable mention, I loved the absolute genius choice of River Song’s shoes in “The Time of Angels”. You better believe I went out looking for some just like it. I managed to find some in black!





What I don’t like


For most of the newest season I was bored. I understand that a lot of the episodes were thread weaving exercises up to a massive story arc but boy was it a snooze fest getting there. I thought I was having a hard time connecting to the Doctor and Amy because of their age. I dismiss that now because I saw Sarah Jane Adventures in a middle of a season with no knowledge of the show and fell in love with it. That cast feels right and keeps me coming back for more.
I really had to try hard to like Matt Smith as the Doctor and I’m still not sold on Karen Gillian as Amy. I had my problems with Rose but she made sense and was believable. I believed her relationship with her mother and Mickey. I understood her reason for going on an adventure with the Doctor. Her acting never took me out of the story. I’m not sure what Karen is doing but sometimes she pulls me out of the adventure. I can’t tell if she’s over doing it or not. Honestly, I can’t tell whether I like her or not. That’s a problem this late in the season.


I’m SICK of the Daleks. I’m so sick of the Daleks that I was happy to see the Cybermen and I’m sick of them too. My initial reaction to the first Dalek that I saw in “The Pandorica Opens” was a massive sigh and an eye roll.





What’s going on now


All of the different and strange adventures have started to connect in an elaborate, round-about way. Some beings, I’m guessing the new fruity-flavored Daleks went back in time, left crop circles, looked at two of Amy’s favorite children’s books and devised a trap to get the Doctor into the Pandorica all while maintaining an alliance with all of the baddies in the Whoverse. It’s smart to get rid of the biggest threat and nuisance in the universe but the bad guys lack of attention to detail is maddening.
#1 What baddie did the research that says only the Doctor can fly the TARDIS? If the TARDIS is the thing that is going to blow up, destroy or trap the TARDIS?
#2 Why are Amy’s childhood things still laying about? True I still own my Cabbage Patch Kids but those things are stuffed away in a box.
#3 Why is luring the Doctor to Stonehenge using Amy’s favorite things a good trap for the Doctor? It worked but I don’t get it?


River Song’s place in history or the future is getting confusing but I think her exploding in the TARDIS is the catalyst to her “timey-wimey” predicament. I hope it is because her mystery is dragging on. I initially thought that she ended up in jail because she killed the Doctor. Now, I’m not so sure.

Amy is shot by Roricus. The Doctor Who franchise didn’t invest that much money in her to kill her in the first season. She lives.

The alliance of Daleks, Cybermen, Slitheen, Nestene, Sycorax and Atraxi is unprecedented. The Doctor should at least be flattered that he generated enough fear to make that happened. On the other hand, he’s trapped in a box so I’m sure that’s not on his mind. I wonder if the baddies have considered that death hasn’t managed to conquer the Doctor. If death can’t defeat him, what makes them think some fancy fairytale box will?


Right now, less than a week before the series finale, the viewers are in a unique position. This last episode can be what makes this season epic or mediocre. I was thrilled with “The Pandorica Opens”. It gave me the excitement that I’m used to experiencing when watching Doctor Who. I’m positive about the finale. Are you?


Doctor Who airs Saturdays on BBC One at 18:05. The next episode is “The Big Bang”.
Doctor Who airs Saturdays on BBC America at 9/8 c. The next episode is “Vincent and The Doctor”.

Also, leaving the island was a desire of MIB as a human. It is never revealed why as the smoke monster he wanted to leave the island. People always assumed it was for evil and that he would destroy the world.


15) Jack went into “the light” and didn’t turn to smoke. What is up with that?
He was “aborted” from “light” and gingerly placed on some rocks outside of the cave with “the light” just like MIB.


16) Desmond went into the light and did not die, turn to smoke or get laid gingerly on the rocks outside of the cave. Why?
Desmond, somehow survived an electromagnetic explosion which not only gave him the ability to predict death but time travel (or at least his send his mind through time). Him being able to withstand electromagnetic events is the reason why he could go into the heart of the island unaffected.


17) If Desmond could withstand “the light” why didn’t he put the cork back into the island instead of Jack?
Jack needs to be a hero. I believe even the writers was sick of Jack’s whining and gave him the hero’s death that he had such a hard on for.


18) Then what was the whole Charles Widmore experiment about?
Desmond was lead to believe that if he did what he was supposed to do on the island that everything would reset and he would transport to the “flash sideways”. He thought the “flash sideways” was the prime reality. Instead, he was responsible for making everyone in the “flash sideways” aware that they were dead and needed to “move on”.


19) What was Charles Widmore’s role in everything?
He started out as an “Other” and took orders from Richard Alpert. He had an off-island relationship that resulted in Penny’s birth which got him kicked off the island by Ben Linus. Every since then, he searched for the island to get revenge on and kill Ben Linus. Widmore was so aggressive that he sent mercenaries to the island to kill everyone. Eventually he was visited by Jacob. Jacob told Widmore about his struggle with MIB and the importance of getting Desmond back to the island to fulfill his role and save humanity. Charles was rewarded with a bullet to the chest by Ben Linus.


20) Who were these “Others”?
They were also known as “The Hostiles”. I believe “The Others” have been on the island as early as the murderess Mother which was supposed to be the classical Roman era. They are a combination of people who crashed on the island with Claudia (Jacob and MIB’s real mother) and indigenous people whom may have lived there the whole time or arrived there by an arranged accident by Jacob. Due to the warhead’s introduction to the island in 1954, women became unable to get pregnant on the island. “The Others” seemed to have gotten organized under Richard Alpert’s rule and are vicious when it comes to protecting the island. They killed a US Army unit in 1954, purged the Dharma Initiative in the 1970′s and were extremely aggressive with the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815.


21) Wait, the US Army was on the island?
Yeah dude. Pay attention. Back in 1954, they wanted to use the island for weapons testing. That’s where the “Jughead” bomb came from. The audience finds out about the bomb after Ben turns the donkey wheel and the island skips through time.


22) What was the “Dharma Initiative”?
DHARMA stands for (Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications). They were “a large-scale communal research compound where scientists and free-thinkers from around the globe could pursue research in meteorology, psychology, parapsychology, zoology, electromagnetism”, etc. They found the island with Eloise Hawking’s Lamp Post. Dharma survived on the island for about 20 years until the truce with The Others failed. The Others, lead by Dharma traitor Ben Linus, killed the entire Dharma crew including his own father. “The Others” now live in and use the resources left by Dharma.


23) Why wasn’t Michael or Walt in the finale?
Uneducated and ridiculous answer: Because Hollywood hates Black people.
Uninformed answer: My guess is because Malcolm David Kelley now looks like a 30 year man and they couldn’t find a way to write around it.
Actual answer: I don’t know.


24) Who is alive in “island present”?
Hurley, Ben, Kate, Sawyer, Claire, Aaron, Frank, Milo, Richard, Michael*, Walt, Rose, Bernard, Penny, Desmond, Eloise.


25) What was the statue about?
It is a statue of the Egyptian Goddess Taweret also known as Tuat. She is the goddess of birth and re-birth. We still don’t know who built it and for what purpose. We do know that it was destroyed when Jacob brought Richard Alpert to the island. He flung the Black Rock ship through the air which crashed into the statue and broke it. Jacob also lived in the chamber below the foot of the statue.


That was fun! Most of the answers I knew, some are speculation and some are just for laughs. I fact-checked and quoted a few things using Lostpedia. It’s a great resource if you still have questions about LOST. Namaste!

Lost has SEVEN more episodes left. It airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on ABC.
All pictures came from Lostpedia.

…but we still have to wear glasses in all cases.

Panasonic is debuting it’s “groundbreaking full HD 3D Home Entertainment System” today starting at about $3000 for the full home theater and $2500 for the TV itself. (Note: the glasses will cost $150!) Samsung revealed it’s 3D TV yesterday and Sony will be releasing there’s this summer.

via Mashable

As well as 3D abilities, the new LED TVs offer Internet@TV connectivity with the new Samsung App Store on board. To give you an idea of what you’ll have to cough up to go 3D in the comfort of your own home, pricing for the TVs alone ranges from $380 to $7,000.

I’ve watched Coraline in 3D on my own HD TV on DVD and it was pretty good. I was impressed at least.
I wonder though, how is this fancy new TV different than slapping a DVD or Blu-Ray disc and getting a pair of those crappy red/blue glasses that come in the case. What makes this TV something that I want to buy and worth it? I guess I’ll have to wait for reports to come out about how this TV is different. I’ll also have to go to the store and see one for myself.


CNet – Who will buy the first Panasonic 3D TV?

Mashable – Samsung Debuts 3D TV Lineup

Panasonic – Introducing Panasonic’s Full HD 3D Home Theater System

March 5 – Alice in Wonderland (I still haven’t seen this and I’m not particularly excited about it.)
March 19 – Repomen
March 26 – Hot Tub Time Machine, How to Train Your Dragon
April 2 – Clash of the Titans
April 30 – A Nightmare on Elm Street
May 7 – Iron Man 2
May 14 – Robin Hood (maybe…)
May 28 – Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time (maybe…), Survival of the Dead
June 11 – The A-Team, Karate Kid
June 18 – Toy Story 3
June 30 – The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Shut up! Not one word!)
July 9 – Predators (I forgot this was coming out.)
July 16 – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Nicolas Cage)
July 30 – The Adjustment Bureau (Philip K. Dick)
November 19 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (I guess I should step up reading efforts. I’m still on Book 4, chapter 28.)
November 24 – Red Dawn? (I didn’t know they were remaking this!)
December 17 – Tron Legacy
December 22 – The Green Hornet

The only thing that I’m really, truly excited about is Tron, Iron Man, A-Team and possibly Clash of the Titans and Harry Potter.

Flash Forward (ABC)                   Mar 18  (Season 1 Resumes)
The Clone Wars (Cartoon)              Mar 19  (Season 2 Resumes)*
Supernatural (CW)                     Mar 25  (Season 5 Resumes)*
Vampire Diaries (CW)                  Mar 25  (Season 1 Resumes)*
V (ABC)                               Mar 30  (Season 1 Resumes)
Doctor Who (BBC)                      Apr  3? (Series 5 UK Debut)
Doctor Who (BBC America)              Apr 17  (Series 5 US Debut)
Fringe (FOX)                          Apr  1  (Season 2 Resumes)
Merlin (SyFy)                         Apr  2  (Series 2 US Debut)
Stargate Universe (SyFy)              Apr  2  (Season 1 Resumes)
Smallville (CW)                       Apr  2  (Season 9 Resumes)*
Going Postal (Sky One)                Apr 3/4? (Miniseries UK Debut)
Riverworld (Syfy)                     Apr 18  (Miniseries Debut)

*Not found on sftv.org.

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The more the merrier! If you’d like to contribute, join us!


Current contributors are:

Cat of Fancy Fembot http://fancyfembot.com Fancy Fembot is a general sci-fi and op/ed blog. @fancyfembot

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Sci-Fi Party Line Podcast http://scifipartyline.com/ Science Fiction podcast about television shows and movies. @scifipartyline

* A browser-like navigation bar with forward and back buttons. You can even save favorites and review your teleport history.
* A sliding right-hand panel that surfaces the most frequently-used features and makes managing your profile, contacts, groups, landmarks, inventory, and appearance easy.
* Improved Search, powered by Google Search Appliance technology , makes it easier to find friends, places, and cool stuff to buy.
* A superior alternative to invisiprims for non-human avatars. In Viewer 2, a new wearable type, called Alpha Masks, allow you to “mask out” parts of your base avatar to make entire body parts disappear.
* And, you’ll enjoy the new contextual help to help you acclimate to the new viewer experience.

Click for larger image.



My first thought is that the new viewer looks sleek. It keeps you from having a jungle of pop-up windows in your main view. I like that it doesn’t overlay the sidebar OVER your view. It makes the whole view smaller to accommodate the sidebar but the view isn’t much smaller and is extremely convenient.

I do NOT like the extra “ok” button that you have to click just to dismiss an object. Textures that are embedded in notecards seem to load very slow for me. The admin menu is missing and I want it back. I really hope someone figures out how to get to it.





I like the way the new profiles look.

I especially love the favorites list for landmarks. This is so useful and it’s about time they did it. They’ve also included a teleport history so if you want to go back to a sim but forgot where or what it is, you now have a record. Also, when you teleport somewhere new, it also briefly shows you a a small pop-up link to where you came from.

You can also see a list of avatars that are in range of your immediate area. It seems that the new Second Life viewer has taken a lot of pointers from the gadget MystiTool. The SL viewer doesn’t tell you how close or far the avatar is so I won’t be giving up my MystiTool just yet.





I’m excited about the new wardrobe options. Before, in order to get a list of items that your avatar was wearing, you had to search for the word “worn”. Now you can find the items attached to you in one click. They also have a feature where you can save an outfit. You could do this before but it was buried in about 2 or 3 clicks. The bad part about new outfit window is if you already have outfits saved, you have to do create them all over again if you want to use the new feature.


Overall, I like the new viewer but seems like a cosmetic make over. For a newbies (and olbies), the new viewer is mostly a success. For that reason, I think everyone should give it a fair shot.


Download it and try it out for yourself! Viewer 2 Beta | Second Life
If you decide to tweet about the Second Life Beta Viewer, use the tag #SLViewer2.


Find me on Second Life here. Check out my Second Life apparel store here.

‎I’d like to note that if I can find a pre-built one that meets my needs that isn’t over priced, I am open to buying it.

I initially wanted an Alienware Aurora but barebones it’s almost $1200… and that’s WITH a student discount. I think they add $100 or more for the video card I want.  …not to mention that make you pay for shipping and taxes. THEN from the time of purchase, it’s going to take them a WHOLE month to ship it.


I’ve chosen to build the computer around the video card because I want to game on a decent computer. The three main programs I will be using is Second Life, Blue Mars and Star Trek Online. After looking over their system requirements, they all seem to have the Nvidia 9600 and 9800 in common. [Nvidia 9800 GT (maybe the 9600 GT ?)] I also want to run Photoshop, browers, iTunes all at once without my computer moaning and whining.


I already know I’m installing Windows 7 on it. I’ll also be using an AMD processor.


I usually use an Asus motherboard, Antec case, Kingston ram, Western Digital hard drives. I’m open to new hardware suggestions. I already have an Audiophile 2496. I don’t mind using it but onboard audio is easier. I have a DVD burner that is good enough to use for now. My monitor is still new so I don’t need that either.

Here are some of the recommended system requirements from some of the games.


Second Life:
If you don’t use Second Life often, you may not realize than Second Life can be harder on a computer that World of Warcraft. They have 3 levels of settings; low, mid and high. I’d like to run Second Life on it’s highest settings. See the gpu_table for more info.

This is what Second Life suggests. (This is most likely for average computers running the middle settings.):
http://secondlife.com/support/system-requirements/
Computer Processor: 1.5 GHz (XP), 2-GHz (Vista) 32-bit (x86) or better
Computer Memory: 1 GB or more
Screen Resolution: 1024×768 pixels or higher
Graphics Cards: More on the list of compatible video cards


Blue Mars:
http://www.bluemars.com/about/sysreq.html
Platform: x86 PC or Mac via Boot Camp
Operating System: Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 (both 32bit and 64bit)
CPU: 2Ghz AMD or Intel Dual Core
RAM Memory: 2 GB on XP, 4GB on Vista
Video Card Memory: 512MB and up
Screen Resolution: Display resolution of at least 1280×768 is recommended
Disk space: Approximately 4GB for the installer, temporary files, and the installed Blue Mars program.
Video Card: http://www.bluemars.com/about/videocards.html
GeForce 9600 GSO
GeForce 9600 GT
GeForce 9800 GT
GeForce 9800 GTX+
GeForce 9800 GX2
GeForce GTS 250
GeForce GTX 260
GeForce GTX 275
GeForce GTX 280
GeForce GTX 285


Star Trek Online
http://www.startrekonline.com/node/494

Recommended System Configuration

• OS: Windows XP SP2 / Windows Vista / Windows 7 (32 or 64-bit)
• CPU: Intel E8400 Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2 5600+
• Memory: 2GB RAM+
• Video: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3850+
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Soundcard
• DirectX: Version 9.0c or Higher
• HDD: 8GB Free Disk Space
• Network: Internet Broadband Connection Required
• Disc: 6X DVD-ROM

[Update]
Mockups of the new Google tablet (gPad?) just surfaced. I don’t hate it. I’m open to giving it a chance but Google always has a way of not quite hitting the mark for me. We’ll see.

This article contains spoilers about game play and early missions.

I logged on this morning and got two hours of play time. The website likes to scare you about system requirements but my computer is massively outdated and the game runs fine for me. (Albeit at a lower quality setting but it still looked great!)

My character was easy to set up. I got to choose to be a Starfleet Officer in Engineering, Science or Tactical. I could be male or female and Human, Andorian, Vulcan, Bajoran, Bolian, Betazoid… and some others that I can’t remember just yet. You can also make up your own race. The clothing options are for uniforms only but they have an array of designs to choose from. If you are a female character you get a choice of 3 feminine stances. It is such a relief from the warrior princess stances of games past.

I am a Vulcan Science Officer. I get the default 2 abilities that come with being Vulcan and 2 more abilities of my choice. Of course, I forgot them. I also forgot my name. It could be T’Pel or something like that. I do remember my ship’s name, Ilesha.



Upon entering the game, everyone is dumped into a Starfleet Lounge. Looks like a chat/ hangout area. Someone was yelling about loosing their dad at Wolf 359. I wanted to get away from that buzz kill so I headed out to my assignment. I guess they wanted to make it as engaging as possible from the start because everything starts with a The Borg attack. Maneuvering about the game is pretty easy and the first levels of game play do a good job of teaching you how to use the game without trapping you in a training level like World of Warcraft. The WASD style movements aren’t as precise as I’d like but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.



From the start, you are put right in the middle of the action with getting on turbo lifts, helping injured soldiers, destroying Borg weapons and even a bit of hand-to-hand combat with The Borg. I don’t usually like playing games where combat is involved because I get all stressed out and worried about my hand-eye coordination. Because the Borg don’t really attack unless you are a threat, they are really easy to kill early on. It helped me gains some battle confidence.



I made it to level two where I got my pick of an officer to help me with combat. I chose a tactical officer. The next mission was aboard my ship. Flying the ship is cool but it’s a bit tricky and difficult to control at times. Ships also don’t move fast… or I don’t know how to make it move fast. I sat there trying to accelerate for a long time. I’ll have to look at it more to see if I was doing something wrong. After I became more familiar with the ship, I managed to save some crew and destroy some Borg drones. It was at this time that the Game Gods sent a system-wide message that they would be closing down playtime. So that’s it.



I can see that I will play this game. It is accessible and non-threatening to a person like me who has avoided MMORPGs for a long time. It is fun, I like the world, it is beautiful and the most important thing is that I don’t feel overwhelmed with levels and damage… yet.


The Star Trek Online Open Beta begins tomorrow, January 12, 2010 at 10 a.m. PST. The game is officially released on February 2, 2010.
Star Trek Online Pre-Order – Pre-ordering gets you a key to the open beta.


You can friend me in-world by searching for my username fancyfembot. My ship is the Ilesha and I’ll post my character’s name here when I remember it.


Check out some fan screenshots: Star Trek Online (beta): Impressions


All pictures com from and is property of http://www.startrekonline.com/


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On its own, I Am Legend is a slow movie. It seems like it was more an exercise in watching Will Smith doing cute Will Smith stuff in a deserted New York with a dog. I thought the scenes where Will would hunt deer using a car and a shot gun were clever; post-apocalyptic hunting and gathering, I like it.

Too much of the movie was spent following Robert Neville around in his daily routine of being the last human in New York City. I liked that but when they tried to whip a story up in the last 20 minutes, everything fell apart.

I didn’t like the faces of the infected human zombie things. They looked like zombified versions of the evil robots in iRobot. The use of The Mummy‘s mouth-stretch effect was tired as well. (Thanks @oddernod) They also physically moved like EVERY scary thing that we’ve seen in movies for the past five years.

Robert made a routine of visiting a DVD store and had mannequins arranged in a way that created a social setting for him. The zombies figured this out, used one of the zombies as a trap and caught Robert. Robert escapes the trap, is injured and BUTT SCOOTS to his vehicle. This was so unrealistic…. ok the whole movie was unrealistic but this is where my suspension of belief just went out of the window. Adrenaline would kick in and he would have run for his life. I’ll let that go.

The best thing about this movie is that I got Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds stuck in my head for days. It’s the best ear worm that I’ve had in awhile. I also like the way Robert compares Bob Marley to a virologist. It’s crazy and far-fetched but I liked it. …I also want a dog. The Shrek thing was weird too.

When Anna and Ethan show up, the whole movie turns to crap. I like that a mom and her son has somehow survived without a scratch, looking clean and un-battle weary. When I say like, I mean NOT. Her “God lead me here” bit drained me of all energy and I wanted to shoot myself. I thought the whole butterfly mentions by his daughter were going to lead to a wacky cure, not be a tattoo on the neck of a delusional woman who has unreasonably survived unscathed only for him to give her the cure, he blow himself up and she cruise on up to Vermont to live happily ever after in a compound of human survivors… with really low walls. Why were those walls so short? Those zombie things can jump really high. ….and how does Robert hand her a vial of blood and that’s it. Doesn’t the blood need to be on ice or something for the sample to be usable? Why did he feel the need to blow himself up? Did he love the dog that much? He could have fit in that space. What if they needed more data because the vial of blood was unusable because IT WASN’T ON ICE??? …and while I’m on a run-on sentence tear, why couldn’t he shoot those damned deer? I could have walked and shot one of those things drunk. I’m from Texas and these things are in my DNA but still. I’m going to leave the nitpicking alone, there are SO many more but those are the ones that I had to vent about.

Overall, I had to try to like this movie. I’m not sure what happened here but it was a big mess. I liked Will Smith, his acting was flawless but something else wasn’t right. Because of the pacing and the way the story was told, I think the ending to this particular story was perfect. To try to make the zombies intelligent was too little too late in the last five minutes of the film. The only thing that’s good about this version of I Am Legend is that it totally leaves open an opportunity for another re-make to be made. Calling JJ Abrams.

On a side note: I’m not entirely sure that I’m comfortable with Will Smith putting his children in his movies and our sci-fi films. They are always cute and never do a bad job. It just seems like he’s taking advantage of us.
The Karate Kid looks like it may be good so I’ll shut my trap and reserve my judgment.

LET THE PARADE OF MAN FLESH BEGIN!

15. Timothy Dalton – Doctor Who, James Bond -Big Poppa, you still got it.

14. Taylor Lautner – Twilight, New Moon - He will be 18 on Feb. 11th!

13. Sam Worthington – Terminator, Avatar -He’s growing on me. He’s cute. More shirtless pics please!

12. Harry Lennix – Dollhouse, Matrix One of the only reasons I watched Dollhouse to the end.

11. Matthew Bomer – White Collar, Chuck -Classically handsome. Those eyes!

10.Ryan Kwanten - True Blood -Um. Wow. I’m re-thinking his place on the list.

9. Jamil Walker Smith – Stargate: Universe -He makes grumpy really sexy. Now you know why I’m still watching SGU.

8. Tahmoh Penikett – Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica -Chiseled jaw. Mmmm.

7. Gerard Butler – Gamer, 300 -Just hot!

6. Jensen Ackles – Supernatural -Eye of the tiger!

5. Hugh Jackman – Wolverine, The Prestige -Look at those guns!

4. Faran Tahir - Star Trek, Iron Man -Surprise sexiness of the year. Captain Robau, we hardly knew ye.

3. Alexander Skarsgård – True Blood, Generation Kill Oh Viking… Ohhhhh.

2. Morris Chestnut – V, Anacondas -It feels wrong to mention something about chocolate but I can help it. …and that bald head. *faints*

1. Christopher Eccleston – GI Joe, Doctor Who -I can’t explain it. This man does it. Is it the ears? I don’t know…

Honorable mention: Barack Obama - President of the United States Happy birthday Mr. President!

My faves list surprised even me. How in the hell did Battlestar Galactica rank so high?

[:::[FAVES]:::]

15. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001) – Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating

14. Andromeda (2000) – Kevin Sorbo, Lisa Ryder, Lexa Doig

13. The 4400 (2004) – Jacqueline McKenzie, Joel Gretsch, Jeffrey Combs

12. Journeyman (2007) – Kevin McKidd, Gretchen Egolf, Moon Bloodgood.

11. True Blood (2008) – Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Sam Trammell

10. Jekyll (2007) - James Nesbitt, Gina Bellman, Denis Lawson

9. Carnivàle (2003) – Michael J. Anderson, Adrienne Barbeau, Clancy Brown.

8. Fringe (2008) – Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick

7. Supernatural (2005) – Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver

6. Eureka (2006) - Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Jordan Hinson

5. Stargate: Atlantis (2004) - Joe Flanigan, Torri Higginson, Rachel Luttrell

4. Battlestar Galactica (2004) – Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber.

3. Firefly (2002) – Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk

2. Lost (2004) – Naveen Andrews, Josh Holloway, Daniel Dae Kim.

1. Doctor Who (2005) – Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant

[:::[TOP FLOPS & TURDS]:::]

8. Heroes (2006) – Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia

7. Mutant X (2001) - Victoria Pratt, Forbes March, Victor Webster

6. Moonlight (2007) – Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring

5. Blade: The Series (2006) – Sticky Fingaz, Jill Wagner, Neil Jackson

4. Dark Angel (2000) – Jessica Alba, Michael Weatherly, Richard Gunn

3. Painkiller Jane (2007) – Kristanna Loken, Noah Danby, Stephen Lobo

2. Flash Gordon (2007) - Eric Johnson, Gina Holden, Panou

1. Bionic Woman (2007) - Michelle Ryan, Miguel Ferrer, Molly Price

[:::[Canceled before they had a chance to shine]:::] (Unranked list)

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008) – Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau

Defying Gravity (2009) - Ron Livingston, Malik Yoba, Andrew Airlie

The Dresden Files (2007) – Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, Terrence Mann

Nightstalker (2005) – Stuart Townsend, Gabrielle Union, Eric Jungmann

Bloodties (2006) - Christina Cox, Dylan Neal, Kyle Schmid

Dollhouse (2009) - Eliza Dushku, Harry Lennix, Fran Kranz

Threshold (2005) - Carla Gugino, Brian Van Holt, Brent Spiner

Surface (2005) – Lake Bell, Jay R. Ferguson, Carter Jenkins

Invasion (2005) – William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Kari Matchett

[:::[Honorable mentions]:::] (Unranked list)

The Dead Zone (2002) – Anthony Michael Hall, Nicole de Boer, Chris Bruno

Torchwood (2006) – John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd

Sarah Jane Adventures (2007) – Elisabeth Sladen, Daniel Anthony, Tommy Knight

Stargate: Universe (2009) – Robert Carlyle, Justin Louis, Brian J. Smith

Numb3rs (2005) - David Krumholtz, Rob Morrow, Judd Hirsch

Chuck (2007) - Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Adam Baldwin

Warehouse 13 (2009) – Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek

FlashForward (2009) – Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport

Witchblade (2001) – Yancy Butler, David Chokachi, Anthony Cistaro

V (2009) – Elizabeth Mitchell, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Morena Baccarin

Merlin (2008) – Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head

Legend of the Seeker (2008) - Craig Horner, Bridget Regan, Bruce Spence

Smallville (2001) - Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk

Sanctuary (2008) – Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, Ryan Robbins

Big Bang Theory (2007) – Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco

The IT Crowd (2006) – Chris O’Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson

The best worst made-for-TV films:

They may not be Academy Award winning but these were so bad that they are good… or at least cult favorites.


10. Man with the Screaming Brain (2005) - Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi
9.5. Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers (2002) – Creator, writer J. Michael Straczynski. Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins, Peter Woodward.
9. Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (2006) - Creator, writer J. Michael Straczynski. Dylan Neal, Andreas Katsulas (RIP), Alex Zahara
8. Alien Apocalypse (2005) - Bruce Campbell
7. Abominable (2006) – Jeffrey Combs
6. Dinocroc (2004) – Costas Mandylor, Max Perlich
5. Terminal Invasion (2002) – Bruce Campbell, Chase Masterson
4. Manticore (2005) – Chase Masterson, Robert Beltran
3. Hammerhead: Shark Frenzy (2005) – Jeffrey Combs
2. S.S. Doomtrooper (2006) – Corin Nemec
1. Mansquito (2005) – Corin Nemec

Best mini-series or made-for-TV films:

15. Earthsea (2004) - Kristin Kreuk, Shawn Ashmore, Isabella Rossellini, Danny Glover
14. Alice (2009) – Caterina Scorsone, Andrew Lee Potts, Matt Frewer
13. Virtuality (2009) - Written by Ronald D. Moore. Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Peter Jacobson.
12. The Triangle (2005) - Eric Stoltz, Catherine Bell, Lou Diamond Phillips
11. Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (2009) – Selena Gomez, David Henrie, Jake T. Austin, David DeLuise
10. Lathe of Heaven (2002) - James Caan, Lukas Haas, Lisa Bonet.
9. Tin Man (2007) - Zooey Deschanel, Alan Cumming, Neal McDonough.
8. Beyond Re-Animator (2003) – Jeffrey Combs
*7. Torchwood: Children of Earth (2009) – John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd, Kai Owen
*6. The Prisoner (2009) - James Caviezel, Ian McKellen, Lennie James
5. The Lost Room (2006) – Peter Krause, Julianna Margulies, Peter Jacobson.
4. Children of Dune (2003) - Alec Newman, Edward Atterton, Ian McNeice, James McAvoy
3. The Librarian Series (2004, 2006, 2008) - Noah Wyle, Bob Newhart, Jane Curtin
2. Taken (2002) – Executive Producer: Steven Spielberg. Joel Gretsch, Dakota Fanning, Heather Donahue, Julie Benz, Matt Frewer
1. Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004) – Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe

*Forgot to add these in the original post.

[:::[FAVES]:::]

10. Transformers (2007)
What can I say? I have a weakness for robots in disguise. I played with the toys as a kid and they’ve always been cool to me. Even with the sequel being a disappointment, I’m still excited that Transformers was made at all.

9. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
I love retro-futurism. I still wish the future would look the way they envisioned it in the 50′s and 60′s. The retro robots and ray guns were so much fun to see on the big screen. Angelina Jolie did an amazing job. I was also impressed with HOW this film was made.

8. Minority Report (2002)
Very pretty movie. The tech was memorable and the story was phenomenal. We got to experience pre-couch jumping but post Scientology Tom Cruise. This movie will always be the sexy touch screen movie for me.

7. The Prestige (2006)
I was taken off guard by this movie. I didn’t think it was going to be science fiction at all. This film had so much to offer in the way of story and settings. The steampunk style of this movie just worked.

6. X-Men (2000)
This was the first and best X-Men. I loved seeing how the characters of them movie came alive. They are a decent portrayal of the comic book characters. Hugh Jackman is divine!

5. Hellboy II (2008)
I liked the sequel better than the first movie. It had a bigger budget and had more of a grand adventure feel to it.

4.5 The Dark Knight (2008)
Heath Leger. That is all.
4. Batman Begins (2005)
Liam Neeson. That is all.

3. Serenity (2005)
We made this movie happen! I love it when fans whine and cry, kicking and screaming until we get “them” to makes something that is good and that we actually want. It was a kick-ass movie too. I WANT MORE.

2. Iron Man (2008)
I’m not going to get into any of the deviant details but the gadgets in this movie made me swoon. I didn’t care about the Iron Man series before this movie but Robert Downey Jr. really brought to life.

1. Star Trek (2009)
This movie made Star Trek cool again. Any film that can do that is the best film ever.

[:::[FLOPS]:::]

10. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
I didn’t hate this movie. I thought it was funny and the SFX were clean and beautiful. The general fan response to this movie was extreme disappointment.

9. Blade: Trinity (2004)
It just wasn’t as good as the previous movies. I’m not sure what went wrong but it didn’t cut it.

8. Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
While not as disappointing as Insurrection, this movie was all marketing and no delivery. Shinzon was a great character but the whole movie felt like an exercise in WTF?

7. AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
This was another film I didn’t mind. The fan reaction was… I believe… disgust. It got the job done. There was some decent mythology. I thought Sanaa Lathan made a great heroine. I still want an action figure of her from this movie with the alien head shield and the Predator spear weapon.

6. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
I’ve only seen this once and I remember being really bored. It was the same old, same old with a blond Terminatrix added for good measure.

5. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
This movie had so much potential but was squandered on… well I’m not entirely sure what happened here.

4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
This movie had a lot of things to like. Shia LaBeouf was funny. It was good to see Harrison Ford as a cranky, old but exceptionally spry Indiana Jones. The aliens didn’t work for me. The film threw a lot at me but nothing stuck. I wish this film was never made or at least it should get a do-over.

3. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
What WAS this??? I general idea behind a remake or re-imagining is for it to be better than the original. What were they thinking? It felt like they were trying to not step on the toes of the original movie. Major things that made the movie a classic were left out. How could they leave out “klaatu barada nikto”?

2. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
I liked Attack of the Clones more than Revenge of the Sith. The story was right. The special effects were there. The universe was full and enriched. Hayden Christensen just was the wrong guy for this. Before George Lucas thrust the prequels on us, the story of Anakin and how he turned to the Dark Side seemed like a straight forward tale. I’m not sure how everything went so wrong. Why wasn’t this as good as it was supposed to be?

1. Matrix Revolutions (2003)
I wasn’t that excited about Matrix: Reloaded but it was still a fun movie. I will still watch it every once in awhile but Matrix 3? Hell NO! I remembered being super pumped up for this film. I bought the Animatrix and watched that DVD often. I bought the Matrix game for XBox. I was all about Matrix: Revolutions. I went to an IMAX showing on opening day. I still remember it like it was yesterday. The sheer trauma and all-around SUCK of this movie has left me scarred to this very day. I was EXTREMELY disappointed in the way the Neo story unfolded. The war was stupid. What did Trinity do again? She frakkin’ died! What was with the train? Why didn’t they just make an animated binary version of The Oracle? …or make her a disembodied voice? Merovingian? Why??? They had nothing to do with the historical Merovingian dynasty. Why did they just call them something else? Why was the… What? How did? I’m going to stop here because I don’t want to upset myself any further. I HATED this movie.

Honorable mention: Jumper (2008)
Why was this even made? Great scenery, decent plot but Hayden Christensen was in a paper bag in this movie. Seriously guys, tell this man that he needs to act his way OUT of the paper bag. Samuel L. M.F. Jackson didn’t even save it this film. I still kinda want my money back on this one.


I seriously hope that none of the actors or crew ever read this entry.

!!!SPOILERS!!!

Just wow.


I didn’t expect such an emotional roller coaster. The End of Time made me cry. I actually felt loss.


I think I sulked for about an hour before I could put together some thoughts about WHY this episode was so powerful.


Events that lead to the death of the Tenth Doctor have been carefully crafted for over a year. The clues about his death were blatant. Nothing was a surprise which is why the emotional reaction that I had to The End of Time caught me off guard.


The Doctor has been pretty open about his will to live and his love of life. The tantrum that he throws when he figures out that the guy that knocks four times isn’t the Master but Wilfred, Donna’s dad, is incredible. He, like The Master, misinterprets “prophecy” and it ends badly for both of them.  The Doctor isn’t shy about expressing his disappointment that a lowly nobody is the reason that he is going to die. Earlier, he tries to figure out why Wilfred is always around; why him, why was he so special? The Doctor has this tantrum out loud in front of Wilfred. It was something that we never see. It is customary for heroes to tighten their jaw and face their fate with honor. Not our Doctor. It wasn’t cowardly but different and it is part of the reason that makes his departure so painful.  The exact spot where my package of Puffs Plus started to get lighter is the scene where The Doctor is glowing and is about to disperse. He, out in the cold of space, alone, knows what’s coming and practically whimpers, “I don’t want to die.” I lost it. It was too much, too good, well done, bravo, please take my money.


I don’t recall being this emotional when Christopher Eccleston left the show. I do remember fussing about it in spurts for about a year. You can still get me to go on a good rant about him every once in awhile. He was my first Doctor, your first is always special but like life, it’s not always the first one that gets your heart… watch out for the second one. I think I’m taking it so hard because I didn’t really want David Tennant. I liked him well enough but he had to really work to win me over. Even after he did, I’d still yammer on about Christopher Eccleston who really didn’t care for the role at all. David Tennant was THE Doctor of my generation. He owned the role and gave us a lot. He gave us 4 years of adventure and fun. Thank you David Tennant.


——————-


This isn’t really a review so I’ll keep the rest of my thoughts short. I will go into greater detail on my podcast Sci-Fi Party Line. Keep a look out for that episode sometime next week.


Martha and Mickey Married?: I didn’t really see that one coming but I don’t mind it. Mickey grew up a lot over the course of the years. To see him fighting aliens with Martha is awesome! That should be the next Doctor Who spin-off! The Adventures of Martha and Mickey!


I’m a little bummed that The Time Lords were evil in this story. I guess because I haven’t watched the old Who shows, I didn’t get that the Time Lords were evil. I’ve always thought of them as noble beings. I want to see them noble again. If they are recurring bad guys, I guess I wouldn’t mind that either. My ulterior motive is that I love their costumes and want to see them walking about more. Timothy Dalton as Lord President is kinda hot. I have a small crush on him and I’m slightly uncomfortable admitting it. Let’s not discuss it further. [Update: Good lord, the man is 63! You still got it.]





The Master’s plan to make everyone like him was stupid. It was the weakest part of the whole story. It let it go because the guy is crazy and crazy people do crazy crap. I wanted to fear The Master and not just think of him as some retarded Time Lord jester reject. It sucks that the Time Lords made him that way so that they could use him for their own selfish purposes. To belittle and reject him because he was defective at their own hands was very low. Dunno… maybe I have to accept that The Time Lords are just a bunch of douche bags. Doctor Ten was getting a little d-baggy in his old age so maybe it’s for the best that he’s the last one.


Matt Smith – Doctor Eleven:  While weeping into my tissues, I found myself not caring about anything he was doing. Because I was in mourning, my initial reaction was that he did too much for a first appearance. He was cracking jokes about being a female, still not being ginger, etc. These things would have been perfect for the next episode. It would give him a chance to shine on his own. Because I was numb, seeing wackiness at the end of this episode felt like overkill.


We’ll see if time heals all wounds.

15. Stargate Universe
I had a really hard time getting into this show initially. I also had a hard time accepting that this would be one incarnation of Stargate that I wouldn’t like. I kept with the show and found things to like about it. I’m willing to stick with it to see where it goes.

14. Dollhouse
I tried to like this show. Echo as the programmable hooker with a heart-of-gold that can kick butt got old. All of the actors did a good job but something never really gelled with this show for me. Dollhouse had it’s moments but overall I can live without this show. I will miss Tahmoh Penikett though.
I’m a little upset that now that the show has been officially canceled that they are stepping up their game. They should have been putting out intense episodes like the past few from the start.

13. Sanctuary
I was really happy with the direction of the show at the end of the first season. The introduction of “The Gentleman” really made me excited about the future of the show. Who doesn’t want to see what a modern Jack The Ripper, Nikola Tesla, etc would be like in a modern sci-fi/ steampunk show?
The second season saw the show get dragged down with the search of Helen’s daughter, Ashley and ultimately her death. There was one episode where they spent the whole hour in room full of water & helicopter wreckage. It was then that I got concerned about the direction of the show. I love Sanctuary because of the way the show burst on the scene starting out as a web-based show then getting actual distribution on Syfy. Currently, however, the show needs to kick it up a notch. I’m not totally bored yet but I need a little more.

12. Warehouse 13
This is another steampunk/ sci-fi show on Syfy. It started out a little shaky but ended strong. They started adding things to the show to make it more interesting. I care about these characters; Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly and Saul Rubinek have great chemistry. I have a good feeling about the future of this show. CH Pounder has an awesome character on this show. I hope Avatar doesn’t keep her from returning.

11. Doctor Who
Let’s face it; as much as it pains me to admit it, Doctor Who sucked this year. We got some filler specials that were a lot of fun but not as good as having a regular run of a proper Doctor Who series. As if not having a regular schedule wasn’t bad enough, David Tennant is leaving the show.

10. Sarah Conner Chronicles
I liked this show a lot. There weren’t enough robots and terminators but I enjoyed the introduction of Shirley Manson’s character. This show took a lot of chances and even dared to get artsy every once and awhile. If Summer Glau joins another canceled show, I’m going to start think she’s an awesome but bad luck charm. Fox should reconsider and bring this one back.

9. Chuck
It has enough science fiction jokes and geekery to go on this list. I didn’t want to watch this show. No; not even with Adam Baldwin on it. I didn’t know that Matt Bomer and Tony Todd was on the show as well. This made a HUGE difference in my enthusiasm for the show. Turns out, Chuck is a really fun show and stays fresh. I’m at the beginning of the second season and I’m not bored yet. I want to be caught up enough to watch the season three premiere live.

8. Big Bang Theory
The fact that any of those guys are getting laid is pure science fiction so Big Bang Theory goes on this list. Sheldon invented “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock”… Big Bang Theory goes on this list. Summer Glau, Wil Wheaton and Katee Sackhoff was on this show… is there any question as to why Big Bang Theory is on this list? If you aren’t watching this show, you are missing out on some really great nerd antics. This show is ALWAYS funny.

7. FlashForward
I hated the premiere episode of this series because it felt too much like a Lost rip off. I stayed with the show and it hasn’t felt like that since. It became its own entity and holds it’s own. I’m not sure how long it’s going to last but it did well for its first season. I like how the show questions fate and tackles the idea of multiple universes.

6. Defying Gravity
This show was sold to the network as “Grey’s Anatomy in space”. It was an accurate description which is why it didn’t work. It the beginning, Defying Gravity was overly dramatic and not enough science fiction. Overall, it wasn’t a perfect fit for the medical fetish community or science fiction fans.
On the other hand, the sets were the most beautiful that I’ve seen on TV in a long time. We finally got a space show with a pretty and pristine space ship.
It’s funny though; the episodes that aired after the show was officially canceled in the US were heavily sci-fi and really good. I wanted to see more but I’ve heard that they’ve already torn down the sets. Oh well…

5. Lost
I know this show shouldn’t be so low on my list of shows. The competition for my love is fierce. Lately, the shows that I prefer are the ones that make me happy. Lost is damned good but not joyful. It’s frustrating and mysterious. Lost had become a chore to watch but this latest season hit with a force unlike any season before it. It actually came out of its genre closet and shined its sci-fi star bright with time travel and the disappearing island.

4. Sarah Jane Adventures
This is the cutest show on TV right now. It’s the Doctor Who universe without all of the depression of Torchwood. Initially, I was repulsed by watching a kid’s show. Screw that. This is the best, most mature kids show on TV. While Doctor Who proper was messing around with holiday specials, Sarah Jane was saving Earth every week. The plots are simple and everything has a layer of saccharine over it but this show is damned good. You do yourself a disservice by not watching it.

3. Eureka
This show makes me happy. I don’t know if it’s the theme music or the Vancouver scenery or the actors… I’m just not sure. I’ve been less mesmerized by this show due to the death of Nathan Stark. Henry Deacon and Sheriff Jack Carter make up for it but the romance between Carter and Tess Fontana killed the momentum of the show for me. I celebrated when Tess left Eureka for Eastwick. The cruel part is that now that Allison finally gets Jack to herself, she is now a widow with a newborn baby. What happened to her adopted kid Kevin? BRING BACK STARK! Reset button! RESET! …and give Henry a lover that you’re not going to kill off. I miss his nutty professor but as opposed to his mad scientist bit.

2. V
I love this re-make. It has everything that I’m looking for in a science fiction show. It isn’t quite like the original but not bad at all. This cast is incredibly sexy and most of the acting is believable. The sets are gorgeous and the uniforms, while not as flamboyant as the original series, work. We only got to see 4 episodes this year but I’m salivating for more!

1. Fringe
I hate to call this show an X-Files replacement because it would belittle the show’s personality and originality. Fringe fills the void for us X-Philes who have been roaming the government conspiracy wilderness alone for the past few years. I didn’t think it would be possible to capture the feel of X-Files again but Fox has done with Fringe. Let’s hope they don’t cancel it like everything else. *cough* Firefly *cough* Sarah Connor *cough* I love Fringe because there are monsters-of-the-week that have to do with the overall story arc. The story arc pulls me in because anything can happen at this point. A lot of things are still unknown.
Anna Torv has really grown as an actress and it is showing. John Noble’s portrayal of Walter Bishop is entertaining every week. I look forward to the crazy things that he says. Broyles, Peter, Astrid, Nina and William Bell are key to the show’s chemistry as well. I love everything about this show. …well… I’m still mourning the loss of Charlie.

Most of the list is science fiction but this list also includes all of the movies that I saw this year and how I ranked them. I’ve seen fifteen movies this year so I will rank them from least favorite to favorite.

15. Angels and Demons
Yes. I am ranking Angels and Demons LOWER than New Moon. This movie bored me and was a complete snooze-fest compared to the book. I remember really enjoying the book. The only thing that saved this film was Ewan McGregor portraying the sexiest priest ever. Everything else… yawn.

14. New Moon
I didn’t hate it. Jacob as inappropriate eye candy was delish. The special effects in this movie were interesting and I even related to Bella once. It’s a fun teen movie and is way better than the first movie. I’ll see the next one.

13. Terminator Salvation
I was disappointed in this film. I didn’t know Sam Worthington and I couldn’t understand why the movie was more about his character instead of John Connor as over-intensely played by Christian Bale. No wonder dude was pitching fits on the set; he wasn’t the star which was downright rude.
The robots kept me from totally hating this movie. They were sexy and what you come to expect from the Terminator franchise. The naked CGI Governator was also a treat. This movie left me wanting more in a bad way.

12. Harry Potter
My initial reaction to the latest Harry Potter movie was unfavorable. Overall, it was cute movie, I guess. The teen sexual tension was cute but there was too much of it and not enough about everything else. I’ve only read the first two Harry Potter books and have been told that there was supposed to be a lot more going on in this movie. The readers of this series have the benefit of filling in the blanks with the knowledge from the books. I did not want that. I wanted the Harry Potter movies to stand apart from the books and be a strong representation of what the books are. It was not. I’m still upset at the ease in which Dumbledore died. I really expected a grand wizard finale battle like the movie before it. It was a major disappointment for me. I’m still a little bitter but I will read the books now because the movies just don’t cut it.

11. Wolverine
This was a chick-flick. I, of course, wish all chick-flicks were this awesome then I could tolerate them. As an action flick, it did its job. There were a lot of shirtless men muscling around growling; lots of “male bonding”. Hugh Jackman was divine. Wolverine had the misfortune of being one of the first sci-fi films out this year so its memory and effect has faded. I remember not hating it and liking it more than Terminator.

10. Transformers 2: Rise of the Fallen
Compared to the first movie, this one was a steaming pile. The bad language in this movie was so unnecessary and blatant that even my 7 year old nephew complained. The plot isn’t complex; it’s a special effects spectacle so we should at least be able to bring kids to see this. I was unmoved by the “racist robots” uproar. I’ve seen movies made by Black people with stereotypes that are way worse than this. Also, the desert scene was so long and boring that you could take a restroom break and not miss a thing.
This one ranks so high because of nostalgia. I enjoyed seeing the characters from the first movie; Shia LaBeouf makes me laugh. Tony Todd voicing The Fallen was a fangirl treat for me. I love Optimus Prime way too much for me to be considered sane.

9. Surrogates
I just liked this film. Anything that has to do with robots as avatars is a winner for me. Bruce Willis was perfect and the movie’s message while tiresome was still effective. I enjoyed the contrast between the surrogate and human. It is also fortunate that this movie came out before Avatar.

8. Inglorious Basterds
This movie impressed me. I didn’t expect it to be an alternate history where Jewish badasses kill Hitler? Given the grim subject matter, the movie was a lot of fun and the costuming struck a cord with me. I’m glad that I was talked in to seeing this one.

7. Zombieland
A funny zombie movie takes away from the stress of a classic zombie movie. I have a hard time tolerating zombie movies because they seem so hopeless and overwhelming. Zombieland wasn’t all goofiness and I think it had the perfect balance of wit and horror. Woody Harrelson totally rocked this movie. Zombieland reminds me why I love the guy and why I love Bill “F’ing” Murray.

6. GI Joe
This movie had a Wayans brother in it so I expected it to suck majorly. It didn’t. I ended up liking GI Joe more than Transformers which surprised me. Sure, I may have been blinded by the gloriousness that is Christopher Eccleston but this movie is still high on my list. It gave me what I expected and delivered exactly what a summer sci-fi blockbuster is supposed to.

5. Sherlock Holmes
Two words: Steam Punk… or is that one word? Whatever. The Sherlock Holmes movie wasn’t as steampunk as some of the other movies that use the style but it made up for in set design and costuming. I wouldn’t have suspected this movie to be directed by Guy Ritche if it weren’t for the Snatch-like fighting pit scene. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. Either way, I loved the grittiness to this movie. I must admit (with lots of shame) that I’ve only seen Sherlock Holmes as portrayed by Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’ve always imagined that Holmes was uptight and gentlemanly not gritty and damned near menacing… and kinda gay. I love Ritche’s vision of Holmes. He’s more accessible and his genius shines through perfectly.

4. Moon
The best thing about this movie was the story-telling. The special effects were there. It was futuristic but it was the story that held everything together. In a summer glutinously filled with explosions and gyrating robots, this movie was refreshing and elegant. Sam Rockwell is brilliant!

3. District 9
This was the biggest surprise of the year for me. I totally didn’t expect this movie. It was one wild ride from beginning to end. Because this film was made in South Africa, it had a unique feel that I really appreciated. The apartheid theme was blatant but alien spin on the theme made it a compelling tale. There are explosions but not the grand, gratuitous ones that we are used to. This movie has a stylized grossness that I wasn’t prepared for but grew fond of mainly because it was different. There isn’t happy ending to the story but a believable compromise that made the entire experience fulfilling.

2. Avatar
This movie was the most beautiful movie that anyone has seen this year. Yes, I’m making that judgment for everyone whether they like it or not. The breakthrough technology and world building in Avatar was phenomenal. James Cameron has raised the bar for film-making again. This may be this generation’s Star Wars, maybe not, but no one can deny that Avatar was an amazing spectacle. Some people had issues with the plot. I thought it was fine. I cared about the characters and the ending was satisfying. Avatar was my first major movie experience in 3D. I’m glad I made the decision to experience the film that way. It is part of the movie and I can’t imagine the film without 3D.

1. Star Trek
I own this DVD, soundtrack and I’ve paid to see this film 4 times in theaters. (6 if you count the tickets I bought for my nephews.) This is without a doubt my favorite movie of the year. I think it’s the best too. This movie had decades of history and stereotypes to overcome. If that wasn’t enough, Star Trek fans are nearly impossible people to please. JJ Abrams didn’t please every one of us but he pleased a HUGE majority of us and now will take his place amongst the deities of the Star Trek universe. (I want my JJ Abrams action figure NOW!) That is no minor feat. He managed to make Star Trek fresh and exciting. I even think that people are interested in future journeys with the starship Enterprise.

Honorable mention: Rifftrax presentation of ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’
This is a very good idea. Rifftrax had a live heckling of ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’ that was streamed to theaters across the nation in real time. Veronica Belmont hosted. Jonathan Coulton performed two songs. The movie was just as awful as ever but Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett made this hilarious and watchable. The movie going experience had a community feel. People laughed freely, shouted out their own jokes and we even goofed off with each other afterwards.

Doctor Who: The End of Time Part 1 (BBC)    Dec 25 (UK Debut)
Doctor Who: The End of Time Part 1 (BBCA)   Dec 26 (US Debut)
Demons (BBC America)                        Jan  2  (US Debut)
Chuck (NBC)                                 Jan 10  (Season Three)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (SyFy)       Jan 10  (Syfy Movie Debut)
24 (FOX)                                    Jan 17  (Season Eight Debut)
Caprica (SyFy)                              Jan 22  (Series Debut)
Human Target (FOX)                          Jan 17  (Series Debut)

If you ever need to know sci-fi tv show air dates, sftv.org is THE place to go.

Tuesday, November 24th will be the final installment of ‘V’ until next year. If you haven’t been watching you can catch up for free on Hulu or ABC.com for free.

I got to see a pre-air of the final episode so I will give you some clues but no spoilers. First, let’s wrap our head around the story so far.

The visitors have been here for years. It isn’t revealed if they are as a tie-in to the original series or if this is part of the new mythology.

Wash…  Dale was a V sleeper agent for 20 years. He pretended to be a human FBI agent to learn more about them/us as part of a calculated invasion. After being shanked by his partner Agent Erica Evans, he was taken to the V mothership to be re-animated and interrogated. He woke up with post traumatic amnesia and eventually remembers that Erica saw his true lizard face. He demands, in a sexy way (ok sexy to me), to be let free so that he can kill Erica. Joshua, who helped him jog his memory, kills Dale by lethal injection. Before Wash dies… Dale dies, Joshua reveals that he is part of the rebel V faction called the Fifth Column and that he intends to make Erica an ally.

The Vs get US Visitor Passports. Erica is called in to be on protective duty the Peace Ambassador Center because there has been a death threat. She appears for duty in jeans, a leather jacket, boots and aviators; girl means business.

Erica has to partner up with a V to find the shooter. She asks to get restricted access to the V security surveillance. While there, she notices a room across the hall that can only be accessed by a keypad with a numeric code. She, being a badass, remembers the code by sight.

She puts on a show of hunting, trapping and hog tying the assassin for all to see while saving Marcus V’s life; which got him all hot and lizardy for her. Erica gets her kudos then gives everyone the slip and goes back to the secured room. She conveniently finds the room empty and there is a high tech Matrix-esque, Dark Knight-styled multi-view floating screen surveillance system. The V’s have cameras in their jackets the footage is streamed to this piss-poorly secured room.

The assassin, turns out, was planted by Anna; a damned dirty lizard trick.


Sexy lizard man Ryan meets up with former resistance fighter Cyrus (01 from ‘Charlie Jade’). Ryan tries to get Cyrus to return to the fight but finds out that Cyrus is working for the Vs to capture and turn in Fifth Column rebels. Rebel Vs are disconnected from Anna’s “bliss” and Cyrus has turned his back on his rebel brethren because he is in withdrawal from the “bliss” and wants to be reconnected for a fix.

After killing Cyrus and escaping, Ryan has a meeting with Georgie to convince him to start another rebel V cell. Georgie thinks John May, leader of 5th column and leader first group of Vs to rise up against the Vs, is a myth. Ryan insists that John May is real.

Father Jack is overwhelmed with V confessions. Apparently the Bible doesn’t address or believe in extra-terrestrial life. He helps Erica track down folks from the warehouse got raided and finds Georgie’s name on a list. Jack finds Georgie’s house and also learns that Georgie’s family was killed by the Vs. Georgie finds Jack and greets him with a gun. They discover that they are all on the same side so Georgie sets up a meeting with Jack, Erica and Ryan. They form a new gang.

Mary Faulkner is on a hunger strike because her husband’s F16 fighter jet went down on the day of the V arrival. The newly widowed Mary becomes the face of the V protest movement. Anna wants to “get to” Mary so her hatred doesn’t infect others. Before Mary arrives, Anna practices being sympathetic. It is both creepy and awesome and confirms that Anna is nothing but a delicious, scaly sociopath. Who knows what Anna did to Mary but Mary makes an announcement that she understands that her husband did not die in vain. This about-face boosts the V approval rating.

Tyler meets up with Lisa at a pizzeria. (For those of you not paying attention she played Supergirl on ‘Smallville’.) She got him back into the V Ambassador Program. He takes her back to HIS MOM’S HOUSE. They make out for a bit but mom comes home and interrupts. He’s out of his V uniform in one second flat because he knows that if Erica-Mom sees the uniform that she will flip. He tries to get rid of her at his bedroom door but Erica hears noises and is greeted with a half-naked teen girl. Before Erica entered, Lisa figures that it’s better to be seen half-naked than in a V uniform so she disrobes. Quick thinking and Vs wear awesome lingerie!

Lisa goes back to the mothership to tell her that Tyler is the “the one”. The one for what, we don’t know. It is also revealed that Lisa is Anna’s daughter.

- ‘V’ airs the last of it’s 4 episode installment this Tuesday on ABC.

These are teases more than spoilers but please read at your own risk!

Final episode preview for “It’s Only the Beginning”:
Humans get punctured with sharp objects and projectiles.
We get to see the healing hands of the V.
There is space ship drool.
There is naked bliss.
Stuff blows up.
Wash dies.
No rats were harmed in the filming of this episode.

Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC/CBBC)      Oct  15 (Season Three)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (SyFy) Oct  27  (Movie Debut - direct to DVD)
V (ABC)                               Nov   3 (Series Debut)
Legend of the Seeker (Syn)            Nov   7 (Season Two)
Ghost Hunters Academy (Syfy)          Nov  11 (Series Debut)
The Prisoner (AMC)                    Nov  15 (Miniseries Debut)
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (BBC1) Nov  15 (UK Debut)
Alice (Syfy)                          Dec 7/8 (Miniseries Debut)
Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (BBCA) Dec  19 (US Debut)

If you ever need to know sci-fi tv show air dates, sftv.org is THE place to go.

When I first heard that a new Stargate show was being made, I was ecstatic. The Stargate: Continuum movie was so good that I just knew that this new series was going to be fun, action packed and full of adventure.

Boy was I wrong.

I remained spoiler free for Stargate Universe because I didn’t want to have any expectations. This usually works in my favor but not this time. I must admit that I had a bad reaction to the pilot episode. Everything seem rushed and all over the place: all of the characters seemed generic, I didn’t know who I was supposed to care about and the flashbacks threw me off. I was horrified to find that the show felt like Battlestar Galactica and I honestly didn’t know what I was watching.



From Joseph Malozzi’s blog:

SGU is NOT SG-1 or Atlantis.  It’s a different show in terms of tone and characters.  If you’re expecting flawless people, square-jawed heroes, and stories that set up and deliver all the answers over the course of a forty-five minute episode, you WILL be disappointed.  And DON’T expect that to change.  If you don’t like the character interactions, romance, and open-ended story elements introduced to date, you’re in for a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong haul because that’s our show.

After reading the above statement, all of my complaints about the show seem pointless. I was going to write in detail why this show wasn’t like SG1 or Atlantis but it is no longer necessary. I do wish that if they were going to choose a tone for the show that it wasn’t like Battlestar Galactica. After giving it a few episodes, I think SGU has a strong enough story and doesn’t need to be styled like BSG. I hope they eventually break free of it.


I still maintain that the Stargate galaxy, SG1 and Atlantis started out fun and action- packed so the writers should expect a little fussing from the fans. I understand that the writers and producers are making a product that makes them happy but if you are not making this show for people like me, then who?


Me not really liking SGU really bothers me.
It feels a little weird saying that I’m not going to watch a show that has space ships, aliens, gadgets and guns because it’s too dark, depressing and/or overly dramatic. The ratings are off the chart for Stargate Universe so someone is watching and enjoying it. I mentioned in an episode of Sci-Fi Party Line that I actually feel guilty for not liking this incarnation of Stargate. I felt guilty because I could see the hard work  that went into the sets, casting, writing and wardrobe. I can see all of the sweat and tears that are put into this show but for some reason it’s not working for me.





What I do like.
The show is very nice looking. It seems to look better with each episode and I’m finding it hard to resist the introduction of the cool new gadgets each week: kinos, bad ass space suits, intuitive ship, remote controlled DHD. The are also two characters that I’m attached too: Colonel Everett Young and Master Sergeant Ronald Greer. Young has a grumpiness that I’m responding to. He’s trying to keep it all together but it seems like he’s on the edge. …and he’s handsome. Greer surprises me every episode. I expected him to be “unfortunately stereotypical” but he’s firm, loyal, funny and smart when he needs to be. …and he’s handsome. I really like First Lieutenant Tamara Johansen as well. She really shined in the latest episode, Water. She’s seems like a less perfect Sam Carter which I find a little refreshing. I initially watched the show for yhe Lou Diamond Phillips character, Colonel David Telford but he’s a guest star and not a regular. It was a huge disappointment but I’ll take what I can get. It’s good seeing him.


I don’t mind the romance or the drama because honestly, nothing is as heavy on the sci-fi drama as Defying Gravity. If I can end up loving that show, there is hope for me and Stargate Universe. I just hope they don’t resort to cheap shock-jock tricks just to piss off the audience.

What is the sexism thing about? (Or fans can be assholes)
When I heard that some folks were going around calling SGU sexist, I was confused. I just don’t see it. When I heard that some of the cast and crew were upset at what folks on the internet were saying about the show, I was equally confused.
#1) Since when did actors and writers, etc pay attention to fans?
#2) I think because actors and writers, etc don’t listen to the fans is one of the reasons that people feel they can get away with saying crazy stuff. Here’s a bit of advice though, if a fans say something negative and don’t leave a real email address, have a website, picture or is otherwise anonymous, don’t listen to them because they are cowards and don’t deserve your attention.
#3) Sexist? If no one has called Dollhouse or Battlestar Galactica sexist, you damned sure can’t call SGU sexist. In other words, STFU!
#4) Actors, writers, producers do pay attention to the fans and they even read our blogs. In the past, I’ve said some insensitive things about actors, shows, etc. and I’ve had a couple call me out on it. I felt bad both times and apologized.
#5) You don’t want a bunch of adoring yes men. I’m not saying change stuff to please us because that would be weak but don’t dismiss everything we say either.


With the seemingly hostile television environment, I feel it’s risky that Stargate Universe seems like it needs time to grow on the audience. Ten years ago, shows had time to grow and find it’s place. It’s no longer like that. It seems like SGU should have burst out of the gate with a stronger introduction in order keep viewers interested. Character development is key but if they audience doesn’t care then all of that hard work is in vain. I will say that those guys have been doing this for years and they know more about what they are doing more that I do so here’s hoping that Stargate Universe has a long run!


Stargate Universe airs every Friday @ 9/8c on SyFy.
Stargate Universe on SyFy
Stargate Universe on MGM
Stargate Universe on IMBD
Stargate Universe on Wiki

No really. That’s not a joke. I’m not being cute nor is that sarcasm. I really loved the pilot episode of Caprica so much so that I may end up buying it!

Let me start from the beginning…

I used to really love Battlestar Galactica before the New Caprica storyline was introduced. After the on planet debacle, the show became a chore to watch. I’ve been complaining about how needlessly depressing and tedious the show had become ever since. Imagine my dismay at hearing that Ron Moore and David Eick were going to torture us with a prequel of the BSG train wreck. At that point, I was adamant about not watching anything BSG related ever again in life. I was practically an activist against all things BSG. Galactica left such a bad taste in my mouth that it took a lot of coaxing, hand-holding, positive reinforcement and a wait of about five months from Caprica’s April release date for me to be able to stomach something from the Battlestar Galactica universe again. It is my personal policy to be open-minded and curiosity that finally got me to watch.


The Caprica pilot, directed by Jeffrey Reiner, is science fiction gold in comparison to some of the other stuff out there right now but maybe not in comparison to the genre overall. The scary part of the pilot is that Jeffrey won’t be involved in the actual Caprica television show so I have some fear watching further than the pilot. That fear is somewhat quelled by the spectacular set up of the pilot. I’d like to imagine that with so much good material from the start that Caprica could never become a bad show. One could hope right?





How it looked:
As a stand-alone piece, the pilot was beautiful. It was visually stunning and the special effects were seamless. I loved the cleanliness of the sets as opposed to the dirty, used sets of Battlestar Galactica. I’m always excited to see sleek and modern interior décor as it has the potential to make up for the absence of spaceships and the lack of outer space as a back drop. Believe it or not, I was impressed with the basic black Matrix-styled loading room set. It was simply lit like live theater and made for some of the best scenes overall.


I love sci-fi military uniforms but seeing them every week became a drag so the wardrobe for Caprica was a breath of fresh air. Joseph Adama looked so suave sporting his fedora and trench coat. I think all men should go back to wearing fedoras; they have instant classiness and sex appeal. Zoe Greystone’s dress in the virtual world was stunning. The jeweled neckline was something I couldn’t take my eyes off of. I’m excited at the possibilities that the costume department has with this show. I hope they don’t let a budget stand in the way of creating and maintaining a sleek, stylish look for this show.





The tech:
They had me at the virtual world. As a lover of virtual worlds like Second Life, I’m excited to see anyone’s take on it in film or television. Aside from the on-screen explosion of breasts and a sea of orgies, once I found out that the scene was a virtual world, I found it to be an accurate, if not normal depiction of virtual world behavior. (@bullitt33 has even witnessed me being shot at on a Doctor Who simulator in Second Life.) What I found odd is that teenagers would swim through the debauchery to follow religious teachings.


If the virtual world didn’t get me the robots would have. Seeing how the very first Cylon came to be was exciting. The fan girl in me was squealing and giddy. To see the iconic red light moving from right to left and the robot killing other robots with almost a vicious rage was downright fun.


I need a house robot that can grant access and take messages. I loved that. I liked how there was smart paper that could send electronic messages. The paper was too much like regular paper for it to be believable for me. I thought it should have been more glossier and thicker. Though, it being run-of-the-mill regular paper had its appeal because it’s not what one would expect.





The story:
Eric Stoltz and Esai Morales ooze chemistry. Throughout the episode, I kept having the feeling that I was being treated to something special and unique. It truly felt like some care was taken in making this. It was as if the Caprica pilot was a personal apology for the last two seasons of suck that was Battlestar Galactica. It pains me to admit that without BSG we wouldn’t be able appreciate the Taurons or enjoy Zoe first steps as a Cylon. I also found it compelling that the first Cylon was brought to life through grief and theft. It’s no wonder they turned out to be such vile creatures. The story isn’t dark for darkness sake and doesn’t try to shock you with cheap tricks like a gotcha suicide or inexplicable angels. The story is, however, intense and engaging; I wanted more.


I like how Adama’s reunion with his daughter didn’t go so well and he decided that she/it was an abomination. It was slightly typical that the man with the simple farmer background would respond that way but I still liked that he wasn’t as into it as Graystone. The Taurons as mobsters is an interesting addition. I have a feeling that the repercussions of Graystone stealing tech will be severe and tragic. I’m interested in seeing how it all goes down.


I also hope we get an in-depth view of all of the races of the Caprica universe. I’d even like to visit all of the planets. It has the potential to explore different cultures like Star Trek did with Deep Space Nine.


With Zoe brought back to life as first an avatar and now a robot, we see why the Cylons have a singular, if not obsessive fixation on “the one true God”. They are, without a doubt, like that because of Zoe. I find it fascinating that a angsty teenager’s viewpoints could be the basis of the entire Cylon race. I’m also interested in what Sister Clarice is up to; brainwashing, brain hacking, side-jacking? When you see Polly Walker, you know there’s some delicious evil afoot. Speaking of evil, The X-File’s Cigarette Smoking Man William B Davis was in the pilot. Of course he got his throat slit so he won’t be an ongoing baddie but it would be fun if he were. Maybe he’ll come back some how. His characters always seem to cheat death.





Nitpicks:
I think the excuse to take out space ships and space as the back drop for this show because it would alienate the female viewers is bullshit. Constant naked breasts and orgies without so much as a hairy man ass is the way to alienate your female viewers. Bring in Ed Quinn, give him a shower scene and we’re good.


The religious aspect of the show seems forced and has the potential to bore me. The constant babbling about “the one true God” was never profound or even interesting to me on Battlestar Galactica. I hope something is done to make this part of the show either more scientific and/or conspirative because I always find my attention waning during these parts.





After it’s all said and done, I enjoyed this episode. The tech wasn’t overbearing and the sets were beautiful. The overall quality of the final product created an environment where the story seemed natural and meaningful. With a seemingly perfect balance of technology, style and drama, the pilot episode of Caprica is a good “beginning of the end”.

I wonder if I’ll like The Plan at all. Highly unlikely but Caprica was so good that I’m willing to give it a shot.

The Caprica pilot can currently be bought (or rented) on DVD. The series will begin on SyFy in January 2010. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan will be released to DVD tomorrow, Oct. 27, 2007.
Caprica @ SyFy
Caprica Pilot @ IMDB
Caprica TV Series @ IMDB
Caprica @ Wiki

I’ll have the site fully restored and pretty in a day or so.

Toodles.

The addition of Lost‘s Penny Widmore (Sonya Walger) and Charlie Pace (Dominic Monaghan) doesn’t help matters. In fact, their appearance made the separation of Lost from Flash Forward nearly impossible for me. I try to watch all shows with zero expectations. It hurt me this time around because I didn’t expect the writers to strong-arm us with Lost‘s technique and style. It takes something away from Lost too.

So I won’t be writing a blog post every week whining about how much I don’t like Flash Forward, I’ll just spare everyone and not watch the show. I really wanted to like this show but I’m left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed.

…and the kangaroo make this show science fiction!!!!

The Vampire Diaries (The CW)          Sept 10 (Series Debut)
Supernatural (The CW)                 Sept 10 (Season Five)
Robin Hood (BBC America)              Sept 12 (Season Three)
Bones (FOX)                           Sept 17 (Season Five)
Fringe (FOX)                          Sept 17 (Season Two)
Heroes (NBC)                          Sept 21 (Season Four)
Castle (ABC)                          Sept 21 (Season Two)
CSI: Miami (CBS)                      Sept 21 (Season Eight)
CSI: NY (CBS)                         Sept 23 (Season Six)
Eastwick (ABC)                        Sept 23 (Series Debut)
Flash Forward (ABC)                   Sept 24 (Series Debut)
CSI (CBS)                             Sept 24 (Season Ten)
The Mentalist (CBS)                   Sept 24 (Season Two)
Ghost Whisperer (CBS)                 Sept 25 (Season Five)
Smallville (The CW)                   Sept 25 (Season Nine)
Dollhouse (FOX)                       Sept 25 (Season Two)
Medium (CBS)                          Sept 25 (Season Six)
Numb3rs (CBS)                         Sept 25 (Season Six)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)            Sept 27 (Season Six)
Dexter (Sho)                          Sept 27 (Season Four)
Star Wars Clone Wars (Cartoon)        Oct   2 (Season Two)
Stargate Universe (SyFy)              Oct   2 (Series Debut)
Sanctuary (SyFy)                      Oct   9 (Season Two)
Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC/CBBC)      Oct   9 (Season Three)
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (SyFy) Oct  27  (Movie Debut - direct to DVD)
V (ABC)                               Nov   3 (Series Debut)
Legend of the Seeker (Syn)            Nov   7 (Season Two)

Sarah Jane Adventures (BBC/CBBC)      Oct   9 (Season Three)

It was decided that I needed to get away from Houston, my computer and all of my social media trappings. (read: cranky and stressed)

There’s not really much that interests me in the southern US. I’ve been to Louisiana several times, Atlanta too and I’m not fond of Florida. We set out for New Mexico because I’ve never been there, I’m a science fiction fan and it has Roswell. I slept for most of the way because it takes about 540 miles and about 9 hours to get out of Houston. I dislike superlong road trips through Texas because there just isn’t much to look at. I woke up around Kerrville because the landscape started to change. Houston is flat so seeing the rolling hills, buttes and mesas were new for me. I was a bit of a shutterbug as well. I took over 700 hundred pictures. (I won’t torture you with all of them.) I just couldn’t help myself because there were so many pretty things to see.

We went several places but stuck to 3 different main cites: Carlsbad, Alamogordo and Roswell– southern New Mexico. The total mileage was about 1,700 miles round-trip and we were on the road five days.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park (Official Site)
Wiki: Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Park entrance: $6
Ranger guided tour of The King’s Palace: $8
Wiki: Carlsbad, NM
City of Carlsbad Website
Population: 25,410
Elevation: 3,295 ft.

When I was told that I was going to see an underground cave, I’m sure you can imagine how unimpressed I was. I’ve never been in caverns before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that I would see stalagmites and stalactites but I didn’t expect the scale. The place is massive and phenomenal! I also found out that the caves of Carlsbad is the second largest cavern in the world.

The caverns are treated with a lot of care. There are metal walkways with rails along the tours so that tourist won’t fall and/or disturb the natural beauty of the caves. There are also infohubs that give you names of particular formations and go into great detail about the major spots in the caves. If you are daring enough, you can go hiking into uncharted parts of the cave with a guide. Since I still felt a little under the weather, we went on The King’s Palace tour lead by a park ranger. She showed us all sorts of limestone formations, stalactites that look like curtains, straws and curly loops. We also went on a self- guided tour of The Big Room. Both tours are about a mile and a half long and take less than two hours to complete each. The tour turned geeky when the ranger told us that the original 1959 Journey to the Center of the Earth was filmed in the The King’s Palace.
Journey to the Center of the Earth trailer.

The journey to get to the caves was equally beautiful. I took many pictures of the surrounding mountains and plant life.

Lincoln National Forest (Official Site)
Wiki: Lincoln National Forest
Driving along US-82.
Wiki: Alamogordo, NM
City of Alamogordo Website
Population: 53,757
Elevation: 4,336 ft.

Though we only drove through the park via US-82, the Lincoln National Forest had to be my favorite part of the trip. Houston is all flat and quite frankly, the view of the city can be dull. I am in love with mountains. I eventually plan on moving somewhere with mountains but I haven’t worked that out yet.

The mountains on US-82 range from desert-like with spots of vegetation, to black, to red clay and some were totally covered in trees (my favorite). The air was crisp and there were simple yet adorable farms as far as the eye could see. I want to go back here just to rent a cabin for a weekend so that I can see more of the forest. I fell in love with this place.

From Wikipedia:
The Lincoln National Forest is a protected national forest in the State of New Mexico in the southwestern United States. It was established in 1902 and covers 1,103,828 acres (1,724.73 sq mi, or 4,467.03 km²). ^[1] It was named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, who was 16th president of the United States and is the birthplace of Smokey Bear, the living symbol of the campaign to prevent forest fires.^[2] Forest headquarters are in Alamogordo, New Mexico. There are local ranger district offices in Carlsbad, Cloudcroft, and Ruidoso.^[3]

Elevations range between 4,000 to 11,500 feet (1,219 to 3,505 meters) and pass through five different life zones from Chihuahuan Desert to subalpine forest. Vegetation ranges from rare cacti in the lower elevations to Engelmann Spruce in the higher.

White Sands National Monument (Official Site)
Wiki: White Sands National Monument
Park entrance: $3 (cash only)
Population: 53,757
Elevation: 4,336 ft.

White Sands has to be my second favorite part of the trip. Not only do you get to drive though the sands but you get to get out and climb them. The view from the tops of the dunes were spectacular not only because of the dunes but the mountains in the far distance. The dunes start out with huge spots of vegetation then get to a point were they are all white with no plants at all. It totally looked like Arrakis, Tatooine or Abydos. Parts of Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen was filmed at White Sands!

From Wikipedia:
The White Sands National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about 25 km (15 miles) southwest of Alamogordo in western Otero County and Dona Ana County in the state of New Mexico, at an elevation of 4235 feet (1291 m). The area is in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin valley area and comprises the southern part of a 710-km² (275-mi²) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals.

New Mexico Museum of Space History (Official Site)
Wiki: New Mexico Museum of Space History
Museum entrance: $6
IMAX movie admission: $6
Wiki: Alamogordo, NM
City of Alamogordo Website
Population: 53,757
Elevation: 4,336 ft.

My first impression of the New Mexico Museum of Space History (NMMSH) is that it is better than Space Center Houston. It’s more of what I wanted out of NASA in Houston. Space Center Houston is over-crowded and is pretty much an indoor theme park for children. NMMSH has actual artifacts and education about what is on display. You aren’t distracted by kids running around yelling at the top of their lungs. On the day we went, Sept. 11, we had the whole place to ourselves. NMMSH is also home to a SpaceShipOne replica but it wasn’t there on the day we went.


There is also a domed IMAX theater on site. The theater was named after Clyde W. Tombaugh, New Mexico resident and discoverer of Pluto. [Wiki] We went to see Destiny In Space which was narrated by Leonard Nimoy. The movie picture was very crisp and the domed theater made the movie look fresh and unique.

Between Alamogordo and Mescalero, there was a town called Tularosa. It had a very heavy southwestern theme and even had mission-styled churches. We didn’t stop to get pictures because we wanted to get to the casino and Roswell before dark. If I ever go back, I will be sure to visit this town. It had lots of charm and is very picturesque.

Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino (Official Site)
Wiki: Mescalero, NM
Casino entrance: Free
City of Mescalero Website
Population: 1,233
Elevation: 6,611 ft.

I was hesitant about going to the casino. The closer we got, I feared that the casino would be a hole-in-the-wall with creepy low-lives. When I saw the sign to the entrance, it eased my fears. It looked really nice and drew me in. As we went further into the site, I realized that this was a hidden-away, plush resort! I was a little disappointed that we didn’t know about the place before-hand because I would have LOVED to stayed overnight! The only disappointment with Inn of the Mountain Gods is that you can’t drink on the casino floor like in Las Vegas. We played some slots and video poker. We lost $40 but it was fun.

From http://www.mescaleronewmexico.com:
The Mescalero Apache Reservation is located in Southeastern New Mexico between Tularosa and Ruidoso off U.S. 70. The Mescalero tribe is currently famous for its Inn of the Mountain Gods’ resort, which offers high altitude golf, fishing, boating, restaurants and gaming.

The Mescalero Apache Tribe was established by Executive Order of President Ulysses S. Grant on May 27, 1873. There are three sub bands that comprise the Tribe: the Mescalero Apache, the Chiricahua Apache, and the Lipan Apache.

Prior to the reservation period, the Mescalero people were nomadic hunters and gathers and roamed the Southwest. They were experts in guerrilla warfare and highly skilled horsemen. The women were known for their ability to find and prepare food from many different plant sources.

Between Mescalero and Roswell, there is a vast expanse of land with what it seemed a 100-mile view. It was cloudy and starting to rain so we got to see a very stunning, panoramic lighting storm on the drive into Roswell. The lightning was pink, blue, yellow and white. Not only did you get your standard vertical lightning strikes but there were also horizontal lightning that practically spanned the entire sky. This was also one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Roswell Visitor Center (Official Site)
Roswell Museum & Art Center (Official Site)
Museum entrance: Free but bring cash to donate.
Wiki: Roswell, NM
City of Roswell Website
Population: 45,293
Elevation: 3,573 ft.

The only reason that I spotted the Roswell Visitor Center is because it had a R2-D2 US Postal Service mail box in front of it. If you are going to draw sci-fi fans in, this is the way to do it! Upon entrance there was alien stuff everywhere! We were greeted by a nice, perky and helpful lady who marked on a map where all of the alien shops were. The City of Roswell provides visitors with a well designed Roswell brochure, Roswell pen and silver evidence bag to put all of your maps and other brochures in. She even told us about a Dragonfly Festival and the Roswell Museum & Art Center. If you want to buy any of the awesome t-shirts that they have for sell, bring cash.

I wanted to go to the Dragonfly Festival in theory but I also remembered that dragonflies are bugs and I’m not a bug person. Hell, I don’t even like ladybugs or butterflies.


The Roswell Museum & Art Center, which is right across the parking lot from the Visitor’s Center, houses a re-creation of Robert H. Goddard’s workshop!!! It’s official title of the exhibit is the Robert H. Goddard Collection of Liquid-Propellant Rocketry. This was a total and pleasant surprise because I didn’t know Roswell had such an exhibit.

If you do anything creative, looking at anyone’s workspace is always revealing and exciting. There were all types of tools, filing cabinets, lighting and of course rockets and rocket materials. This is a free museum but bring cash to donate. Note: The pictures are extremely grainy because the museum wouldn’t let me use a flash.

International UFO Museum and Research Center (Official Site)
Museum entrance: $5

The UFO Museum was exactly as I expected it to be. It doesn’t have the biggest budget but it does it’s best to be informative and fun. I took pictures of everything but I mainly wanted to to see the “Alien Autopsy” exhibit. It was totally kitschy and fake but everyone knows that going in. It amused me that the props were donated from the set of Roswell: The U.F.O. Cover-Up TV movie with Kyle MacLachlan and Martin Sheen.

Roswell is also home to the annual UFO festival in July. See http://www.roswellufofestival.com/ for more information.

Farley’s
1315 N Main St, Roswell, NM 88201; (505) 627-1100
The UFO themed restaurant Crash Down Diner from the Roswell TV show is permanently closed so the next best thing is Farley’s. Though there are two huge silver spaceships hanging from the ceiling, plenty of classic sci-fi posters and restrooms that say “Science Fiction” on it, this restaurant doesn’t set out to be a sci-fi themed. It’s sci-fi enough to be clever but not turn off regular people. The atmosphere is comfortable. It’s an American restaurant; the food is decent enough and inexpensive. Two meals and 3 alcoholic beverages cost around $25! …and the drinks were strong.

Alien Zone Souvenir Shop and Area 51 Photo Prop House
216 N. Main St., Roswell, NM; (505) 627-6982
Prop House entrance: $3

The Area 51 Photo Prop House was my favorite part of Roswell. The owner of Alien Zone (and Cosmic Jukebox?) set up a elaborate room next door to the shop with about 10 different mini-sets. It’s like a haunted house with aliens that don’t jump out at you. Instead, you stop, pose and take pictures with the aliens. It costs $3 to get in and looks a little seedy at first but it’s well worth it. You HAVE to visit and take pictures in it!

I am astonished that Roswell hasn’t gotten a clue and opened an alien theme park. I’m not sure what happened with the plans for the Alien Apex Resort & Theme Park dreamed up by Bryan Temmer but I am disappointed that they haven’t gotten it together yet.


Let your friends and family know you had a wacky old time by visiting the best store for postcards, Planet Roswell on 204 N. Main St., Roswell, NM; (575) 627-3300. There are more alien themed souvenir shops that are all within two blocks of the UFO Museum. All of the stores are unique and full of fun things.

In conclusion, New Mexico was a complete surprise to me. I expected everything to be a hot, red clay desert. It was FAR from that. Sure there were desert parts but there were also very green parts, rocky parts, mountains, pastures, hills, valleys and more. Even though it rained everyday, I enjoyed the weather. In Houston, we practically have 100% humidity year-round so it was a relief to breathe dry air. If I could drop everything today, I’d love to live in the mountains of Lincoln National Forest. I totally fell in love with Alamogordo as well. I wish I would have spent the bulk of my time there. Maybe next time.


For more information about New Mexico, visit http://www.newmexico.org/.

I’m from Houston, TX (Official Site)
Wiki: Houston, TX
Population: 5,728,143
Elevation: 43 ft.

Totally stole this from collider.com

What’s purple and big and really, really cute?

Barney?

Don’t make me smack you!

No silly, it’s the heavy lifting power suit mech thingy from James Cameron’s upcoming movie Avatar. I’d heard of this movie in passing; thought the premise was interesting. The big display at E3 that everyone is drooling over is what caught my attention the most. On first look I thought it was pink. On second look, I saw it was purple and immediately thought of Sigourney Weaver in Aliens 2: Electric Boogalo. (I couldn’t resist.) The big difference with this cuteybot is that it’s made for shooting things. I think the BIG gun on the front won’t confuse you into thinking that this bot is happy to see you.

And SHUT UP! Sigourney Weaver is in this movie! *crosses fingers and prays* Please man the mech. Please man the mech.

And GET OUT! Sam Worthington is in this movie too! Sam is the new “it boi”!

AND ZOMFG! Zoe Saldana is in this movie too!

From Collider via SciFi Scoop.

Totally stole this from collider.com

Ripley's Power Loader

Totally stole this photo from SciFiScoop

Ok. Ok. Liam Neeson is “a” god. According to SciFi Scoop, he will be playing Zeus in the upcoming remake (or re-imagining?) of Clash of the Titans that will come to screens in 2010. Newcomer Sam Worthington is getting some more work after Terminator. He will be playing Perseus. He was decent in Terminator so I wonder if he’ll be any good in this film. Hope so. Good luck cutie pie.

I took a good look at the cast list and I didn’t see a listing for Medusa. Medusa was my favorite part of the original Clash of the Titans. I can’t remember if she spoke or was just a monster that grrred.

Back to Liam Neeson. I can’t wait to see the first images of him. I wonder if he’ll be shirt-less? Or maybe they’ll give him Obi-Wan hair like in Star Wars Episode 1. In any case, I can’t wait to take my mom to see this movie. She is a fan of the original. If it pleases her, they will have done good.

Enter Lady Gaga.

I was a bit lukewarm on her until I saw her latest video Paparazzi a couple of days ago. I was still meh on the video until I saw her silver metal swimsuit (Pictured). I think I had a girlgasm! It’s been awhile since a pop artist caught my attention. I can’t believe that I actually spent money on this album let alone listen to it AND like it. I think I like her because she doesn’t impose any beliefs or emotion on her listeners with her music. She is straight forward about her music being light and for partying only. If you are looking for spiritual enlightenment, this is NOT the album for you. It’s a shake-your-ass-while-drunk album. I also like that she freaks everyone out with her style. I mean, the lady rarely wears pants in public! It’s been ages since a celebrity amused me like this and I’m a little excited about it. For those that have had to listen to me squeal about this for 3 days, it’s out of my system now.

Lady Gaga’s Official Site
Lady Gaga on You Tube
Lady Gaga on Twitter

Anyhoo… Here are some more awesome pics. The orb hat is awesome! She looks like Judy Jetson. She looks like an android in the second picture. The third picture looks like she’s an alien that has crash landed in a pool. (Yeah I know. WTF?) The fourth picture looks like she’s an icubator for the crystalline entity. In the last picture looks like she’s a member of Jem (Truly Outrageous).

[Via imdb]

Cast

	Bradley Cooper	…	Lt. Templeton ‘Faceman’ Peck
	Bruce Willis	…	Col. Hannibal Smith (rumored)
	Common	…	Sgt. Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracus (rumored)
	Woody Harrelson	…	Capt. H.M. ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock (rumored)

Bruce and Woody make the film for me already. I’m not sure about Common. I saw Terminator and all I could focus on was that he was a rapper. There isn’t an actor shortage so I’m not sure why he’s in my summer sci-fi movies all of a sudden. The big question is who will be Mr. T? @nettagyrl suggested that it should be Michael Clark Duncan. Yes! I totally agree! All they need is John Travolta and they’d be some bad mofos.

[via Wikipedia] Legend of the Seeker is a live-action weekly television series loosely based on The Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind. The series follows the epic journey of a young woods guide named Richard Cypher (played by Craig Horner), a mysterious woman named Kahlan Amnell (played by Bridget Regan), and a wizard named Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (played by Bruce Spence) to stop Darken Rahl (played by Craig Parker) from unleashing an ancient and terrifying power.

The first thing that makes this show a winner is that the entire first season is available on Hulu for free. The episodes don’t expire so you can take your time watching without fear of a show not being there when you go back to watch.

The second thing that I like about the show is that it has Star Wars actors in it. The actor that I immediately recognized was Jay Laga’aia as Chase. He was Captain Typho in Star Wars 2 and 3. Bruce Spence is also a main character as the wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander. He was Tion Medon in Star Wars 3. There are tons of some of the regular faces that we see in science fictions shows but most of the actors are little known. I’ve never seen the main two actors Craig Horner as Richard Cypher and Bridget Regan as Kahlan Amnell or the main baddie as Craig Parker Darken Rahl before this show. [Update: Craig Parker is Haldir from Lord of the Rings! My favorite elf from LOTR was on this show the whole time and I totally didn't recognize him! This show just went up a notch for me.]

The special effects can be good or bad depending on your expectation. I say that they are good for a modest budget show like this. A pickier person might call them low budget and cheesy. I think effects work for this show. I don’t have a problem with them.

The story isn’t complex or confusing. You don’t really have to watch the episodes in order but I recommend it. It’s just easier because the story is linear and reveals the back story in order. The stories topics cover magic, plague, sex, sibiling rivalry, shape shifting, hell even time travel.

I like this show because doesn’t take it self seriously and it’s a break from mindfrak shows like Battlestar Galactica and Lost. Don’t take my word, give Legend of the Seeker a chance.

[Updated 6/2/09] I forgot to add that Legend of the Seeker has been renewed for a second season. The new episodes will probably start in November or so.


Legend of the Seeker Official Website

These are the movies that I am definitely seeing:
May 1; X-Men Origins: Wolverine
May 8; Star Trek
May 15; Angels and Demons
May 21; Terminator Salvation
June 24; Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
July 15; Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince
August 7; G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra

I may see these movies too:
May 1; Battle for Terra
May 22; Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
August 14; The Time Traveler’s Wife

[Updated: 5/30/2009]
September 4; Gamer
September 25; Surrogates

There are some interesting movies for later in the year:
September 25; Fame (Not one word)
November 6; The Wolfman
November 20; Planet 51
December 18; Avatar
December 25; Sherlock Holmes

[Source: 2009 Movie Releases; film-releases.com]

The power connection does not fit properly into it’s hole. It constantly slides out and seems like it wasn’t made properly to sit in the slot. It also has too many lights on it. They blink and glow really bright at night. I haven’t really looked to see if there is a way to disable the lights. I’m not sure if I want complain about the screen size. Some popups get cut off and it’s hard to grab a hold of them to resize them. Finally, this thing gets SUPER hot. I’m looking for something to put on my lap so that I won’t get third degree burns from this thing.

Even with all my nitpicks, I love the HP Mini. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting to lighten their daily load of gadgets.

Visit the HP site to see the HP Mini XP Edition.

Specs:
# Operating System: MS Windows XP Home
# Processor Name: Intel Atom N270
# Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
# RAM: 1 GB
# Weight: 2.5 lb
# Screen Size: 10.2 inches
# Screen Size Type: widescreen
# Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
# Storage Capacity: 60 GB
# Networking Options: 802.11g

There are four collections:
Hello Kitty Wild

Hello Kitty Mild

Hello Kitty Kouture

Hello Kitty Accessories

Hello Kitty by MAC is a perfect gift for your favorite fembot, female friend, mother, lover, wife, drag queen or whatever.

You and your body won’t be going to Mars but your name can. Visit NASA’s website and fill out the form. Your name, along with others will be put on a microchip and sent out on the Mars Science Laboratory rover heading to Mars in 2011!

C’mon Texas we’re in the #2 spot.

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/sendyourname/

The piece is called “Making Love”; a twisted guy needs love and tries to create a women for himself.

Pictures are below. Click the image for the full image.

Steampunk materials.

This is what I started out with; a bunch of loose, crazy materials. Some of the materials are brass pipes fixtures, antique buttons, antique watch, skeleton keys, lace, suede, wool, satin, cotton, glass heart, glass buttons, wire and plastic tubing (yes, I know). The mannequin was drafted using manila paper and hardened with paper mache’ then covered in muslin.

Final result: Full image of steampunk mannequin.

Clock detail.

Heart detail.

Pipe and lace detail.

Full back.

Back detail.

This man likes Star Trek. I can end this post right now and that should be enough.

Obama. Black man running for President of the United States. Majorly awesome but meh.

Obama. Human who loves the internet, tech, sci-fi, comic books.

Internet.

The campaign is the thing that sold me on Obama. During the campaign, his website was not stale and useless. He even had his own branded social network. I found it useful for finding others that were excited about his campaign. His campaign didn’t hesitate to use Twitter, Facebook and MySpace. Obama’s YouTube and Flickr account were invaluable for visually keeping up with this historic journey. It promoted a sense of transparency and excitement for his campaign. I loved when the mobile site was first released so that I could keep up with everything via my BlackBerry. The most exciting moment for me is when Obama revealed Joe Biden as is Vice-President via text message! (Yes, I kept and captured the text message from my BlackBerry!)

Tech.

The fight for Obama to keep his BlackBerry is hilarious. Anyone that uses a smart phone to organize their and communicate with friends and loved ones know how such convenience is hard to give up. He is an example to the country to get their act together and communicate like 21st century people should.

Obama will be the first President to have a Chief Technology Officer. Can’t ever say Obama didn’t create at least one tech job.

I wonder if I can become a lobbyist for the flying car?

Science Fiction.

Who runs around flashing the Vulcan hand-sign for live long and prosper and told his wife that her belt buckle was studded with Star Trek-powering dilithium crystals? Our new commander-in-cheif, that’s who!

Comic Books.

He only read Spiderman and Conan the Barbarian comic books as a kid but I’ll give him credit for it anyway. I’m not big on comic books so just an admission of him having read any comic books in his youth is enough for me.

Reference:
MSNBC: Obama: Full-on geek or just ‘nerd-adjacent?’
Wired: 5