With the Super Bowl on its way, scifiwire.com has put up a list of futuristic sports.

Maybe we’re jaded, but we want football players to wear jetpacks and rocket shoes. Seriously, would it be so hard to re-create the knuckle-whitening thrill of Cyberball, where a team had to make a first down before the ball exploded?

Pod Racing: What do you get when you mix a bunch of dumbed-down characters from Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace with moviegoers’ never-ending thirst for explosions? The futuristic version of NASCAR.

Why It’s Infinitely Superior to the Super Bowl:
Honestly, what is the chance that Peyton Manning is going to explode? Maybe if everyone in the stadium hummed the same frequency and it created some kind of reverberation in his skull that caused it to explode. But still, that’s only one explosion.

Quidditch: A bunch of excited kids fly around on brooms, hoping nobody notices that the rules don’t make any sense. Eventually, one of the kids figures out that the Golden Snitch is the only really important part of the game, and wins.

Why It’s Infinitely Superior to the Super Bowl:
Kids flying around at high speeds with a minimal amount of safety equipment? Once Harry Potter fills out and learns to body check, it’s going to be an awesome bloodbath.

More here

It sure would be exciting to see all these sci-fi sports in real life. I wouldn’t mind a Quidditch game What do you think?

Source: scifiwire

Turner Classic Movies this week listed what it calls the 15 most influential film soundtracks, and we’re pleased to see that sci-fi/fantasy scores are well represented, starting with Max Steiner’s score for the original King Kong and culminating in John Williams’ famous score for the first Star Wars.

In chronological order, here’s TCM’s listing of the sci-fi/fantasy soundtracks (we include the James Bond movie because of its fantastical laser weapons and other sci-fi trappings):

♦King Kong (1933) – Composer: Max Steiner

♦The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – Composer: Bernard Herrmann

♦Goldfinger (1964) – Composer: John Barry

♦2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Musical Consultant: Patrick Moore; Music Editor: Frank J. Urioste

♦Star Wars (1977) – Composer: John Williams

Of course, we can argue endlessly about the omissions, such as Howard Shore’s lush Lord of the Ringssoundtrack or Vangelis’ Blade Runner or Michael Giacchino’s The Incredibles or The Matrix or even Clint Mansell’s minimalist score for The Fountain.

Read more here…

Do you agree with the list?

To go along with OBS’ Time Travel January we decided to do some funny Science-Fiction cross-over between ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Star Wars’. Let’s see which character from ‘Star Wars: Episode I-III’ could be who in ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’.

‘The Next Generation’ is set in the 24th century – from the year 2364 through 2370 – about 80 years after the original series. Of course it features a new crew and a new starship.

Starting with the most important person on board of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) – yes, it’s without any question:
Captain Jean-Luc Picard – He is a human from Le Barre, France, Earth. He is depicted as deeply moral, highly logical and cerebral. A master of diplomacy and debate who resolves seemingly intractable issues between multiple parties…just like Qui-Gon Jinn (played by Liam Neeson).

First Officer William Riker is portrayed as bold and confident, an ambitious young officer. And over time he changes and becomes more reserved, as experience teaches him the wisdom of a patient, careful approach just like Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) in Star Wars. ‘Number One’ holds his Commander in high regard, but questions his motives at times.

Second Officer Data is an Android from planet Omicron Theta. He is physically the strongest, and information/calculation-wise, the most intelligent member of the Enterprise crew. Anakin Skywalker a.k.a Darth Vader (played by Hayden Christensen) on the other hand has been recently promoted as the youngest ever Jedi Knight to join the council. And just like Data he has somehow more than one personality – but Data’s are just programmed.

Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge was born February 16, 2335 in the African Confederation on Earth. He impressed his captain often by his will to help and fix things, which ended up that he became Chief Engineer and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Also Mace Windu (played by Samuel L. Jackson) tries to help the Council defeat the growing threat presented by the Separatists.

Chief of Security Worf is a Klingon from planet Qo’noS. Because of what happend to him and his family when he was a child, Worf is a warrior. Just like Count Dooku (played by Christopher Lee), who is a Sith, Leader of the Separatists, and Grievous’ superior.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Beverly Crusher is the heart and soul of the starship and she is good friend to all of the senior staff. I think Padmé Amidala (played by Natalie Portman) is somehow – next to her husband – the heart of the whole Star Wars saga – so she would be a nice and lovely Dr. Crusher.

Ship’s Counselor Deanna Troi from planet Betazed has partial telepathic abilities – because she is half Betazoid and half human – and is an extra-sensory empath with clairsentience. Sabe (played by Keira Knightley) – Queen Amidala’s body double and decoy – has also very high sensory.

And last but not least the youngest: Conn Officer Wesley Crusher – son of Dr. Beverly Crusher – has a unique intelligence and great potential if provided encouragement and opportunity. Just like Boba Fett (played by Daniel Logan) – Jango Fett’s clone and adopted son.

So, what do you think about this…could you visual the characters from ‘Star Wars: Episode I-III’ taking over the USS Enterprise? Do you agree with my casting or any other ideas? Or is it just ridiculous to do this cross-over?

Please tell me HERE – thank you!

Anyway: Let’s drink some ‘Tea, Earl Grey, hot.’ with Captain Picard while Anakin Skywalker says: ‘May the force be with you.’

‘Saw VI’ Director Hired for ‘Paranormal Activity 2′

Paramount has hired screenwriter Michael R. Perry and Saw VI director Kevin Greutert to create a sequel to Paranormal Activity in time for an October 22 release.

Oren Peli, who dreamed up the first, is on as a producer. He told the Hollywood Reporter, “These guys get it, and the fans won’t be disappointed.” Of course he’s going to like the idea. Paramount is paying for this sequel and fronting the bill for his Area 51 (in post-production). What was he supposed to say? The studio already owned the rights to an inevitable follow-up, he may as well collect a paycheck for a producer credit. Maybe I’m just cynical.

MORE HERE

George Lucas Confirms Plans for 3-D ‘Star Wars’!! (Thank James Cameron)

Access Hollywood spoke with George Lucas at a Golden Globes party, and Lucas has confirmed his intent to re-release the Star Wars films in 3-D. What convinced him to do it? Take a wild guess. Avatar.

Lucas told Access Hollywood:

Haven’t been a big fan of 3-D, but [Avatar] definitely improves in (the field of) 3-D. … We’ve been looking for years and years and years of trying to take Star Wars and put it in 3-D. … But, [the] technology hasn’t been there. We’ve been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen.

It is doubtless that many will view this move purely as a money (not art) -driven endeavor. However, if Lucas does indeed implement 3-D similar to the way it was done in Avatar, the aesthetics of the films should indeed be enhanced rather than transformed into a gimmick. Avatar’s 3-D worked so well because it wasn’t used to try to trick your body into thinking it was going to be hit by things; it was used only to create a natural depth. If the Star Wars films can emulate that, there is essentially nothing to lose.

MORE HERE

Guess which director will reboot Spider-Man as a trilogy

When news broke that Sam Raimi was off Spider-Man 4, everyone buzzed about who might take over the superhero franchise, with Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood saying that the ironically named Marc Webb was the top choice to direct.

Looks like she may have been right: New York Magazine’s Vulture blog confirmed that “Sony will imminently announce a deal with (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb to direct not one, but three Spider-Man movies in a rebooted franchise that will focus far more on the private life of Peter Parker”:

Webb’s other big appeal? He’s much cheaper than the old Spider-Man crew. The deal just now being sewn up calls for Webb to be paid roughly $10 million for the first film, with substantial bonuses built in if the picture reaches certain box-office milestones.

The news was that Sony wants to reboot the Spider-Man franchise as a high-school franchise, though there’s been no official confirmation of that yet.

What do you think of this choice?

SOURCE

Mel Gibson Talks Mad Max 4 and His Viking Movie

Mel Gibson and his production company, Icon Entertainment, may be co-producing the upcoming Mad Max 4, but there’s no word if Gibson will appear in the movie. Gibson spoke to Collider about the project, but didn’t exactly clear up the confusion.

I’ve talked to [director] George [Miller] [about Mad Max 4] … yeah. We talk all the time anyway. I’m abreast of that. He’s been trying to do this for years — the 4th installment. At one point I was involved and it fell to bits and then this and that … so now it’s probably gone through a lot of changes and I can’t wait to see it cause everything he does is magic. There is a touch of genius about George.

While it doesn’t sound like Mel will play a role in the sequel, it doesn’t exactly close the door either. While Gibson didn’t speak about his next starring role in How I Spent My Summer Vacation, which is drawing protests in Mexico, he did open up about his next directorial project, which will be an untitled movie about Vikings written by The Departed screenwriter William Monahan (who also wrote Gibson’s upcoming Edge of Darkness) and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

MORE HERE

I don’t know if I am really up for another Paranormal Activity, I think with all the hype of the first one there is a lot of pressure to make it better, which may equal corny instead.

Who’s excited for another Star Wars? I AM! Especially in 3-D!!

What did you think of today’s Movie News? Join us in the forum to discuss!!

from Meredith Woerner at i09: First Iron Man 2 Trailer Explodes With Gadgets, Guns And The American Way

Check out War Machine, the Iron Man dancers, and all new Tony Stark banter, in the first Iron Man 2 trailer. It seems Tony’s handling his new superhero status with style: partying, jumping out of planes and pissing off everyone.

See the trailer here

By Michelle Kung at Speak Easy/Wall Street Journal: “Avatar’s” Sigourney Weaver on James Cameron, “Ghostbusters 3,” and Younger Men

Get ready for a lot more Sigourney Weaver. The 60-year-old actress plays botanist Grace Augustine in James Cameron’s highly-anticipated “Avatar,” out this Friday. She also has (at the moment) five films — primarily comedies — slated for 2010, including her “Galaxy Quest” co-star Tim Allen’s directorial debut and “Cedar Rapids,” where she plays Ed Helm’s cougar-esque ex-teacher and lover. Speakeasy spoke with Weaver about finding her inner “goof,” what makes a good science fiction film and reading the “Ghostbusters 3″ script.

The Wall Street Journal: Was working with James Cameron again something you’d been thinking about for a while?

Sigourney Weaver: We kept in touch [after "Aliens"]. It’s wonderful to work with him, because whatever he takes on is always challenging. He also has such a common touch, even with sci fi — he’ll populate a story with something you can immediately identify with. For example, in “Aliens,” when everyone first gets off the spaceship, Hudson says he’s cold and the sergeant says, “You want me to fetch your slippers, Hudson?”, which is wonderful way of mixing science with true reality.

Read More here

By Amy Hertz at the Huffington Post: Sam Elliott, Philip Pullman Says Religious Right Blocked Golden Compass Sequel

The author, a star, and others are all asking the same question: when the movie adaptation of the book, “The Golden Compass” looks like it’s going to be a hit, why are no sequels being made? It was the first of a trilogy written by self-proclaimed atheist Philip Pullman, a successful fantasy starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig.

The Guardian says:

After the success of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy looked a dead cert for epic fantasy book franchise success. In 2007, when first installment The Golden Compass was released, it looked to have all the right ingredients: moppet actors, spectacular battles, a sexy baddie, Ian McKellen, snow. But no sequels were made. Why?

In an interview with the NCRegister,

Actor Sam Elliott claims that the Catholic Church prevented Hollywood from proceeding with the next two film’s in the His Dark Materials trilogy based on Philip Pullman’s books.”The Catholic Church … lambasted them,” said Elliott. “I think it scared New Line off.”

Read More here

by Anthony Pascale at trekmovie.com: Seth MacFarlane Still Wants To Do Star Trek Family Guy Parody Episode – Will Paramount Cooperate?

Seth MacFarlane’s animated FOX comedy Family Guy has long been rife with sci-fi references, which have culminated in doing full parody episodes remaking two Star Wars movies. And what movies does he want to do next? According to a new interview, MacFarlaine is still interested in taking on Star Trek, but will Paramount let him?

In 2007 Family Guy took on the original Star Wars movie in a full length parody called “Blue Harvest.” Next week the Family Guy re-imagining of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back as “Something Something Dark Side” is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. The Family Guy team plan to finish off the original Star Wars trilogy, taking on Return of the Jedi in 2010.

So what is next for the pop cultural referencing fanboy MacFarlane? In a new interview with the LA Times he gives a clue…

Read More here

Iron Man 2 looks as good as the first so far. I would love Family Guy to do Star Trek, I thought Blue Harvest was awesome. And it is so irritating that New Line backed down about the Golden Compass sequels. They had planned to do the entire trilogy when they started it; Chris Weitz was signed on for all three. If they knew the material when the ok’d the project, they should have known there would be controversy. It doesn’t seem like they really thought it through (or they didn’t bother reading all three books).

What do you think of Iron Man so far? Are you excited about Ghostbusters 3?

20 Best Science Fiction Books Of The Decade

io9.com: After much mulling and culling, we’ve come up with our list of the twenty best books of the decade. The list is weighted towards science fiction, but does have healthy doses of fantasy and horror. And a few surprises.

Air, Or Have Not Have, by Geoff Ryman (Gollancz)
Air won the Clarke Award and was nominated for a Nebula. Here is what Strange Horizons‘ Geneva Melzack had to say about it:

Chung Mae lives in Kizuldah, a tiny mountain village in the country of Karzistan. The people in Kizuldah live traditional sorts of lives, making a living through farming and migrant manual labour. TV has barely arrived in the village when a national test of Air, a new form of virtual media technology, takes place, badly shaking up Kizuldah’s traditional existence. The person most shaken up is Chung Mae herself, who is involved in an accident in the midst of the test that fuses her, in the virtual world of Air, with her elderly neighbour Old Mrs Tung, killing Mrs Tung in the process. Air tells the story of how Chung Mae learns to adapt to her new situation, and the work she has to do to help the rest of her village similarly adapt to the changes that the test has wrought and the further changes that she knows will come when Air is fully implemented in a year’s time . . . It might be tempting to read Air as a book that is advocating change and the embracing of the new, but there’s more to it than that. Change in Air is simply something that happens. It is inevitable. The future is not necessarily any better than the past, but it is coming nevertheless.

More here

Lecturer pens Star Wars academic book

www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk: If you thought academic studies were all about test tubes and pie charts, then think again – a lecturer at Kingston University has just written the first academic book about cult sci-fi film Star Wars.

Dr Will Brooker’s book is part of the British Film Institute’s Film Classics range, and examines Star Wars episode IV – A New Hope, which was released in 1977, from a fresh angle.

Dr Brooker said: “There is a library’s worth of books written about Star Wars, the extended universe, the fans and the effect on the film industry, but not one serious academic consideration of the film as a text. I felt I should fill that gap.”

He argues that, far from being a simple tale of good versus evil, director George Lucas’s sympathies are torn between the two.

He claims that Lucas identifies with both the dark side, Darth Vader and the Empire, and the heroes of the story, Luke Skywalker and the Rebels, referring back to the director’s experimental short films made while he was at college. He looks into the diverse cinema history that shaped Lucas’ approach and argues that, far from being a departure from his previous work, as Lucas has claimed, it is a continuation of his experiments with sound and image.

More here

The Time Traveler’s Wife and Harry Potter made the list, that is so great! It’s also interesting to know everthing that has been done surrounding the world of Star Wars. What do yout think?