Source: airlockalpha

DOES SCI-FI ALLOW FOR POSSIBILITY OF A SOUL?

With all the avant-garde trends in sci-fi television and movies to allow for cloning and downloading, it poses a mind-bending question: What about a person’s soul?

Perhaps no two television series have addressed so thoroughly this impossible question than the sci-fi dramas “Dollhouse” and “Caprica.” Both are dependent upon the idea that a person’s persona or personality can be saved onto a computer chip and downloaded into another being – whether it be human or robotic.

But as we watched the collision of personal identities between Echo (the imprintable doll) and Caroline (the person) in “Dollhouse,” how can we say which was more entitled to the physical body than the other.

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Source bigthink

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY: IS SCIENCE FICTION DESTROYING SCIENCE?

As a genre, science fiction could potentially wield more influence over its followers than any other cultural force. Through film, television, and comics, it has inspired countless socially-awkward young people to think outside the realms of objective reality, even compelling them to congregate en masse in bizarre costumes. Sure, science fiction has been known to attract all kinds of hyper-intellectuals and leaders of tomorrow, but people in the science and sci-fi communities are arguing over how it positively or negatively affects education.

While it’s known primarily for its contribution to popular culture, science fiction has influenced countless minds. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman was influenced by the genre, as was most of the current brain trust at NASA. But when it comes to a sense of real-world educational value, science fiction could be more fiction than science.

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Source: hollywood

WHERE HAVE ALL THE SCIENCE FICTION POSTERS GONE?

I’ve got two blank spots on the wall behind my TV that are just begging to be filled, so I’ve spent the last few days scouring the web for worthy film posters to fill the void. I’m a bit partial to the UK Quad standard size, so a search through various online poster collections turned up a nice selection of classic sci-fi posters that got me wondering… when did sci-fi posters become so lame? Sure, the overall poster industry has been suffering, but the sci-fi sector has taken a particular flogging. And that makes zero sense considering if anything should be showing creativity in the poster department, it should be a damned science fiction film.

Moon had several outstanding poster designs, but it’s been the only cool game in town recently. District 9’s was quite striking, but even it also loses points for being a still from the actual movie. So I decided to look up the current posters for some of the more visible sci-fi films left on the docket for 2010 to see if this trend was on the turn around. The results? Not great.

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It seems lately everyone is on a ’science fiction is getting destroyed, we need more real science in science fiction, and science fiction is dead’ tip.

The following comment astounds me: “Emory physics prof Sidney Perkowitz, has established a set of guidelines for Hollywood producers to help them observe the laws of science and not mislead their fanboy following. These guidelines were in direct response to some of the scientific implausibilities presented in science fiction films.”  Why are we over analyzing sci-fi films to death? Take Starship Troopers, the scientists said that if you scale a bug to the size it is in the film, it would collapse under its own weight. Hence, the major implausibility. I agree, but disagree with applying it to such films, because it means any movie made about humongous bugs could never been made if Hollywood if it were to adhere to such strict guidelines, and there’s been plenty. Why stifle creativity and imagination? Fictional films are suppose to take you on a journey, one of wonderment or horror, implausibility and craziness. It’s an escape. If Hollywood starts abiding by rules that force it to maintain plausibilty in science, what about those disturbing car chases in every action movie, where the car does a quadruple smash bang somersault on concrete, falls off a bridge, into a tank of sharks and the protagonist swims out of the side window, with only a scratch on his forehead. I believe that less than a 10-story tall insect. Car crashes involves physics which is a science. Hello!!

Rant aside, I know what they really mean. They don’t want the  actual use of science within a film to be depicted in such a preposterous way it’s insulting to science itself.  That type of sci-fi flick will have to move over into the fantasy genre I suppose in order not to be scrutinized.

What are your thoughts?

TV Watchtower: When Sci-Fi TV Shows Fall Beneath The Guillotine

By Tiffany Vogt at Airlock Alpha

While shows like “Dollhouse,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Stargate SG-1,” and “Stargate: Atlantis” and even “Lost” are given the opportunity to conclude their series with some semblance of a storyline wrap-up, more frequently networks just unceremoniously yank sci-fi shows off the air without the dignity of a proper send-off or good-bye – “Firefly” being perhaps one of the more glaring examples.

With Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” airing its final episode last month, this is a perfect time to analyze how sci-fi shows are treated by the networks when their time has come. Fortunately, with “Dollhouse,” Joss was given advance notice that Fox was not going to pick up the back nine episodes of the second season, and it allowed him the opportunity to wrap up the series.

That was unlike when Fox abruptly canceled “Firefly” a mere eight years before, which ended with Fox airing “Firefly’s” two-hour pilot as its swan song, a maneuver that still has fans scratching their heads in bewilderment. I mean who airs the two-hour pilot after a show has been canceled? It’s like rubbing it in the fans’ faces that a terrific show was forever gone.

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Will Steven Spielberg Save Science Fiction Television?

By Meredith Woerner at io9

Spielberg is ready to redeem the struggling genre of science fiction on television. His third genre TV show, Nine Lives, might be airing on NBC, and we think Spielberg could be the TV savior we’ve been hoping for.

Spielberg created Nine Lives for the Syfy Channel but it never saw the light of day. The 12-hour miniseries brings back Spielberg’s collaborator Les Bohem, who was a writer on Taken. The series was supposed to be centered on people who seek out near-death situations in order to reunite with dead loved ones. But the project never happened.

But the trades are now reporting that NBC is interested in bringing back this series, if Bohem updates the script.

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New trailer for Doctor Who highlights Matt Smith’s Time Lord

by Patrick Lee at Sci Fi Wire

BBC America has posted a teaser trailer for the upcoming new episodes of Doctor Who, featuring Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor and Karen Gillan as his new companion, which you can view below.

It’s not a series of clips from the episodes, but rather a kind of homage to past episodes and, especially, villains, such as the stone angels from the 2007 episode “Blink,” which happens to have been written by Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s new show runner.

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From Vicki to Zoe: The Evolution of Robot Daughters on Television

Teresa Jusino at Tor

On Caprica, Zoe Graystone has become infinitely more compelling now that she exists only as an avatar. While we recognize Daniel and Amanda Graystone’s pain having lost their only daughter, we can’t help but be more fascinated by Avatar Zoe, who experiences life for the first time, despite memories that tell her otherwise, in the body of a seven-foot robot. Zoe is a well-written character and benefits from an intelligent performance by Alessandra Torresani. However, both the writers of Caprica and Ms. Torresani owe a great debt to another jewel in the science-fiction television crown.

I refer, of course, to Small Wonder.

Caprica wasn’t the first sci-fi show to center around a family with a robot daughter, and there are several similarities between it and its 1980s predecessor.

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I think Sci Fi shows are always judged more harshly than normal shows, and less well handled by the network (at least at Fox). Any show will fail if you don’t market it well or to the right audience, or if you change the time slot often, or the day of the week it’s on. I hope that with all of the sci fi movies doing so well lately it will give sci fi shows more opportunity.

What do you think of the Doctor Who trailer? Are you a fan of Caprica?

From Debi Moore at Dread Central: Denis O’Hare Drops Some Hints About True Blood Season 3

Denis O’Hare has a pretty big movie opening this weekend, Martin Campbell’s Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson, but during the red carpet premiere just about all anyone wanted to talk to him about was True Blood, in which he’ll be appearing as the Vampire King of Mississippi. Read on for a few of the scoops O’Hare provided.

Are you as evil as they say you’re going to be?

Denis O’Hare: “No! I’m charming. I’m not evil – I’m charming. I’m the Vampire King of Mississippi. And I actually got my fangs today.”

Are we going to see you sucking on people?

Denis O’Hare: “Definitely. Yeah, definitely.”

Okay, but they say you’re the big villain…

Denis O’Hare: “No. I have a point of view. I’m for vampires, and I want them to get their rights. I want them to be preeminent, and I’ll do what I have to do to make that happen.”

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by Fred Topel at Sci Fi Wire: Spoilers! Werewolf rage and nudity due on Vampire Diaries

The CW’s Vampire Diaries returned last week to pay off the pre-holiday cliffhanger, and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) took Elena (Nina Dobrev) on a road trip, Elena finally confronted Stefan (Paul Wesley) about looking exactly like his ex, Katherine. Now the show builds up to the season finale, and you won’t know what’s coming even if you read all the books on which the show is based. (Spoilers ahead!)

Series creator Kevin Williamson told fans exactly what they could look forward to, and it won’t involve just the main three characters. Everyone has something to do.

Fans have guessed that they’re going to get to see Tyler (Michael Trevino) wolf out this year, but Williamson said you’ll have to wait for that. “Not this season, but anyone who’s been watching, they know that we hinted of it already,” Williamson continued. “If you’ve read the books, you know which character actually has the curse. It’s latent; it’s a repressed curse. It’s triggered by one particular activity that hasn’t happened yet, so we’ll go there probably in the next season.

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by Thomas Mill at Sci Fi Wire: 9 secrets from the set of Caprica

We stopped by the set of Caprica a while back to chat with the actors and brought back some tidbits for you to chew on as the show prepares for its first new episode this Friday. (Spoilers ahead!)

♦According to Paula Malcomson, Ron Moore is just as crazy as Deadwood creator David Milch, he just doesn’t show it. “Dave is outwardly insane, and Ron is inwardly insane,” she explained.

♦Malcomson also revealed that her character, Amanda Graystone, was originally supposed to have an affair, but that storyline got cut because they thought it would be more interesting for her to work through the death of her daughter via her 20-year relationship with Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz). “We just found that more exciting,” she said.

♦How does Esai Morales (Joseph Adama) feel about following up one of the most acclaimed sci-fi series in history, Battlestar Galactica? “It makes you really care to get things right.”

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By Luc Ippersiel at Two Geeks and a Blog: “Good News Everybody” Futurama’s ‘Rebirth’ in June!

Put a reminder in your calendar and set your PVRs because Futurama returns to Comedy Central on June 10! The first episode will be called ‘Rebirth’ and will kinda sorta not really continue from the story of the last straight-to-DVD movie, Into The Wild Green Yonder. Instead the characters will live a literal rebirth for the 6th production season and will focus more on the relationship between Fry and Leela. Word is that this episode is suppose to have you laughing from beginning to end.

You can find all the up to date information about the show’s return and it’s next episodes at a Futurama wiki called The Infosphere. Until then re-watch all 4 volumes on DVD & the 4 straight-to-DVD “movies” to get ready for a return that’ll be Legen…. wait for it….. dery!

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By Meredith Woerner at io9: Stargate Universe Writer Asks For Your Help With The New Season

Stargate writer and consulting producer for SGU Joseph Mallozzi took to his blog asking the Gaters for input while he’s scribbling away on the new season. Here’s your chance to tell them to throw the stones out the airlock.

Mallozzi’s blog asked his readers 5 questions about the NEW SGU series. Remember we still haven’t seen the second half of season one. But that shouldn’t stop you from voicing your opinion about the crew aboard the Destiny.

1. Which character would you like to see explored more?

2. What aspect of the show would you like to see exploited more?

3. What aspect of the show would prefer to see minimized?

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By Charlie Jane Anders at io9: 10 Reasons We’ll Miss Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse

Joss Whedon’s mind-warping Dollhouse ends tonight, and then we’ll enter the “endless rewatching and overanalyzing” phase of our relationship with this show. Here are 10 things we’ll miss most about Dollhouse, plus some clips from tonight’s finale.

The Cyberpunk visions. People don’t give Dollhouse credit for being cyberpunk, probably because there’s no A.I. in it. (And maybe “neuropunk” is an alternate term.) But really, this show is all about brain-computer interfaces, and it increasingly became about virtual spaces in its second season.

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I cannot wait for new Futurama!! I’m so glad we have a date now, I have every episode memorized, so it’ll be a nice change. And asking Stargate Universe viewers for tips on the show is great; there were some things that just irritated me about some characters.

What are you most looking forward to for True Blood Season 3? What about Vampire Diaries? Will you miss Dollhouse?

True Blood’ Christmas

www.examiner.com: Radaronline.com posted the HBO’s ‘True Blood’ Christmas gift idea list from the official HBO store where you can find something for that ‘True Blood ‘fan in your life.

The “True Blood ‘ hit series has gained millions of fans , a Golden Globe and an Emmy in a era where vampire books, movies and tv shows rule.

HBO’s shop offers a variety of True Blood products for even the hardest of people to buy gifts for. The ‘True Blood products are have all been inspired from the ever growing popular HBO series in categories of wear ,watch swallow or read.

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New characters on HBO’s True Blood for the new season

www.examiner.com: The new season of the HBO vampire hit, True Blood, doesn’t start until this summer, but already, we are getting hints of what we can expect.

HBO has just announced that two new characters will be joining the show. The new characters will be Sam Merlotte’s little brother, Tommy (played by Prison Break alum Marshall Allman), and Bill’s Civil War wife, played by Shannon Lucio (also from Prison Break and Grey’s Anatomy).

In October, news was released that True Blood casting calls have supported a slew of new characters of varying importance on the show. The list includes Jesus Velasquez - an orderly at a nursing home, Talbot – the King of Mississippi’s (Denis O’Hare) long-time trophy husband (who will played by Theo Alexander), an African-American couple named Betty and Marvin, Coot – a werewolf and leader of a biker gang (played by Grant Bowler from Ugly Betty) and Franklin Mott – who is supposed to be just delicious.

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The Vampire Diaries: Candice Accola Talks Matt and Caroline

www.buddytv.com: Matt and Caroline aren’t exactly characters I’d like to see hook up with each other on The Vampire Diaries. I like Caroline right off the bat, largely because she’s fun, quirky and she reminds me off another shallow young vamp from another show. On the other hand, Matt, though easy on the eyes, is just plain boring. But after seeing how Matt struggled to get over Elena and seeing what he went through with sister Vicky, not to mention how Damon effortlessly manipulated Caroline, I’m now willing to give these two a chance.

We gradually witnessed the budding friendship between Matt and Caroline after spending a night together in bed, cuddling, and it looks like we’re about to get more Matt and Caroline moments when The Vampire Diaries returns in January now that Matt already defended his friendship with Caroline to Tyler. Does this mean love is finally in the cards for Caroline and the equally damaged Matt?

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Everything you need to know about every sci-fi TV show this week

scifiwire.com: Last week saw several television midseason finales (or winter finales, or we’re-going-into-reruns-and-we-want-to-call-it-something-fancy finales). However, it’s not the end of original programming this year, folks. This week there are a couple of premieres (Better Off Ted, Outer Space Astronauts), original episodes of some favorites (Fringe, Sanctuary, Dollhouse) and lots and lots and lots of ghost shows.

Here’s what we have to look forward to on sci-fi TV this week:

Alice (Syfy), Monday, 9 p.m.: The second half of Nick Willing’s oh-so-adult version of Alice in Wonderland sees Alice (Caterina Scorsone) attempt to find her way out of the looking glass. Unfortunately, that nasty Queen of Hearts (played by the wonderful Kathy Bates) is after the Stone of Wonderland, which controls the portal that would allow Alice to go home.

Better Off Ted (ABC), Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.: Season premiere: Finally, finally, finally! The funniest show on TV, and one that’s got more than a little science and fiction in it, is back for its second season. On “Love Blurts,” Veridian Dynamics plays genetic compatibility matchmaker for its employees. Despite themselves, Linda (Andrea Anders) and Ted (Jay Harrington) are immediately attracted to their matches, and since Linda’s match is played by hot-guy-who-deserves-his-own-show Taye Diggs (Day Break), I’m hoping that match lasts.

As for boss-from-hell Veronica (Portia de Rossi), she’ll be back and dealing with her own boss. “This season, she’s a little bit more developed,” de Rossi told TV Guide. “She really has more of a relationship with the characters in the show. She shares more of her personal life. … She also has a boss this season, so you’re seeing who she has to deal with.”

Dollhouse (Fox), Friday, 8 and 9 p.m.: Alpha returns: We’re double-dipping Dollhouse this week, with a couple of key mythology episodes. First, on “Meet Jane Doe,” Echo (Eliza Dushku) finds herself Dollhouse-free but alone and confused when her multiple personalities battle each other. Meanwhile, Matthew Harding (Keith Carradine) makes his move against Adelle (Olivia Williams), and Topher (Fran Kranz) discovers how dangerous the Dollhouse technology really is. Rumor has it Firefly’s Alan Tudyk, who played psycho doll Alpha last season, will be popping up on this one, likely as a teaser for the next episode. And on “A Love Supreme,” when Echo’s past romantic clients end up dead, Alpha becomes the main suspect in the murders. Meanwhile, the Actives turn against their handlers. Tudyk guest-stars.

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I can’t wait for the seasons to start again! What do you think?

Joss Whedon comes clean about why Dollhouse failed

scifiwire.com: As we ready ourselves for the final episodes of Fox’s Dollhouse, starting tomorrow, the Chicago Tribune’s excellent TV columnist Maureen Ryan has scored a long interview with creator Joss Whedon, in which he is surprisingly candid about how Fox undercut the show and offers up a bit about the upcoming Dr. Horrible sequel. 

Among other things, we learn that the series finale will be called “Epitaph Two: Return,” that production begins soon and that it will air on Jan. 22, 2010. “Epitaph One,” as we know, was the unaired extra episode from season one that looked into the Dollhouse universe’s dystopian future.

Here are some excerpts from Ryan’s Whedon Q&A:

“The problems that the show encountered weren’t standalone versus mythology [episodes],” Whedon said. “Basically, the show didn’t really get off the ground because the network pretty much wanted to back away from the concept five minutes after they bought it. And then ultimately, the show itself is also kind of odd and difficult to market. I actually think they did a good job, but it’s just not a slam-dunk concept.”

“We got the espionage that the network wants, but it’s the questions about identity that we want,” he noted. “There are other things about the show that never came back, and I didn’t really realize it until the second season—[there were] things that we were ultimately sort of dancing around. … We always found ourselves sort of moving away from what had been part of the original spark of the show and that ultimately just makes it really hard to write these stories.”

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This fall’s 10 most awesome sci-fi TV characters

scifiwire.com: When it comes to TV shows, the stars get all the glory and attention. Sure, we love them (mostly), but often it’s the secondary characters we can’t wait to see. When they get their own rare story, it thrills us and we beg for more.

They don’t have the most lines or screen time, and they aren’t always the prettiest, but they often have wittier dialogue than the stoic hero or heroine, they are always more charming and/or interesting, and they are unpredictable.

Since they’re not the stars and their fate isn’t set, they could die, they could move to Cincinnati, or they could even get beamed onto another series. The best secondary characters have the endless ability to surprise us, and we love them for it.

Damon Salvatore from The CW’s The Vampire Diaries

Played by Ian Somerhalder. He’s hot. He’s funny. He’s evil … though not as evil as he thinks he is, and we love this charming bad boy. The Vampire Diaries wouldn’t be nearly so much fun without him. Sure, Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) are made for each other and yadda yadda yadda. And, sure, Damon and Stefan have had to work together to deal with Logan-the-vampire-on-a-killing-spree lately. But it’s not like we trust Damon to behave himself. … And that’s exactly the way we like it.

Chloe Sullivan from The CW’s Smallville

Played by Allison Mack. For nine years, Chloe has been Clark Kent’s loyal sidekick (you know, kind of like Tonto from The Lone Ranger). In the early days she was in love with Clark (Tom Welling), of course. Eventually she moved on and fell in love with Jimmy (Aaron Ashmore), until things went badly with Doomsday (Sam Witwer), and Jimmy died. Through it all, and her own meteor freak powers, Chloe has been Clark’s right-hand computer genius gal. Until this season. Angry with Clark because he wouldn’t go back in time and save Jimmy (and who wouldn’t be!), Chloe has stepped from behind Clark’s cape and embraced her own abilities as she looks over Metropolis from the Watchtower. Finally, she’s not in love with anyone anymore, and that’s made her so much stronger. After she had Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) kidnapped in the ultimate intervention and bugged Clark’s farm, we knew things had changed. Chloe’s not that sweet, innocent, little girl anymore. In fact, she’s willing to do whatever it takes for the greater good. All we can say is … it’s about time, woman!

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Why the best sci-fi TV and movies don’t *feel* like sci-fi

www.tor.com: Last week, I suggested that sci-f/fantasy readers and authors could benefit from reading genres other than SFF. I contended that the quality of SFF stories can improve from exposure to mainstream genres, reduce the barrier of entry for newcomers to SFF, and create an even larger community of fans.

Today, I’d like to illustrate this by geeking out on some movies and TV shows that inject high doses of SFF elements into their stories, yet proved to be completely accessible to mainstream audiences. Some of these stories aren’t usually classified as sci-fi by norms, which is awfully cool: it shows us that SFF need not alienate audiences with a high barrier of entry, and that the surly “us vs. the world” underdog/junkyard dog attitude a vocal few SFF audiences and authors have need not exist.

I’ll then follow up with why I think these SFF-in-sheep’s-clothing stories are so successful, and what we fans (and writers) can learn from them.

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‘Vampire Diaries’ Star Ian Somerholder Talks Auditioning For ‘True Blood’ & Loving His Girlfriend

hollywoodcrush.mtv.com: Hey Ian Somerhalder: please stop talking about your girlfriend. Especially when you’re being interviewed for Newsweek’s “7 Things” video series, and the questions you’re being asked really have nothing to do with your special lady friend. I’m sure she’s smart and funny and absolutely gorgeous (I hope you wouldn’t settle for anything less), but I don’t need to hear about her anymore. This way, I can pretend that our eight-year age difference won’t matter when we finally meet and fall desperately in love. I mean what? Oh yeah, seven things we need to know about the guy, besides the unofficial number one (he loves his GF).

Apparently Ian sat down and thought about what he could reveal about himself that would make me love him even more, and his list reads more like a parody of a beefcake calendar than an actual list of facts about him. He is “obsessed with saving stray animals” (…with his girlfriend). He’s an advocate of conservation and saving the environment — he even modeled as a kid for a calendar encouraging children to conserve energy. His tattoo says “here and now” in Latin. (Picture him saying these things with that adorable smile and his hands awkwardly in his pockets. Swoon.)

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I think Ian Somerhalder looks better as Damon than Jason, good thing he didn’t get the role Dollhouse you’ll be missed by your fans, but there’s nothing we can do.

What do you think of all this?

io9.com: Wednesday’s announcement of Dollhouse’s cancellation came as no surprise to most, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not here to help those for whom the news means emotional turmoil. Let us walk you to happiness, one step at a time.

Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, in her 1969 book On Death and Dying, introduced the concept of the Five Stages of Grief to help those dealing with personal tragedy get through it as easily as possible. We’ve discovered that those Five Stages are almost applicable to less serious emotional issues, such as the cancellation of a favorite television show. As The Aristocats‘ Thomas O’Malley once said, let me elucidate here:

1: Denial
How many times did fans deny Dollhouse’s falling ratings, or tell themselves that miracles could happen despite a tiny audience and uneven quality – A self-delusion not helped by the series getting a second season in the first place, admittedly – and everything could turn out okay (“Look what happens when you add in the time-shifted audience!”)? The writing may have been on the metaphorical cancellation wall for sometime, but that doesn’t mean that plenty of people were pretending that they couldn’t read when they saw it.

2: Anger
As those who’ve survived the loss of Firefly should remember, the cancellation of Dollhouse will have one clear effect on fans: Blaming Fox. Never mind that they gave the show two seasons with a promise to show the complete second season despite reruns of House getting more viewers and making them more money in the same timeslot, Fox will very clearly be the bad guy in the fan version of this story; as Preston Beckman, Fox’s VP of strategic programming told Broadcast & Cable, “I’ll still get hate mail and death threats.” But why stop there?

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I must have bad luck with TV shows, the ones I like always get cancelled, grr. I’m going to remember those steps for future cancellations What do you think of these 5 steps? What TV shows that have been cancelled did you like? Are you a Dollhouse fan?