Slice of SciFi
Save Journeyman Campaign
NBC has let slip the dogs of war by allowing the pick-up date for their great SF series “Journeyman” come and go without renewing it for the rest of Season One.
We need to let NBC know something they obviously don’t have a clue about — Just how great this show is and all it needs is to be moved to another night at an earlier time.
We have a way all fans can do that. Since the show takes place in San Francisco, California we are asking everyone to send one box of San Francisco’s own “Rice O Roni” to the powers that be at NBC.
Visit
SaveJourneyman.net & Send that Rice O Roni to:
Jeff Zucker c/o NBC
Re: Journeyman
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
or
NBC Universal, Inc.
Attn: Keep Journeyman
30 Rockefeller Plaza 5224
New York, NY 10112-0002
End the year with a bang and go into 2008 feeling like you did something to help save a show that is a gem in the midst of a whole lot of coal.
Pegg: “James Doohan is Scotty”
By now just about everyone into scifi knows that “Shaun of the Dead” star Simon Pegg willb e starring as the new Montgomery Scott for the next big Star Trek movie produced and directed by J.J. Abrams.
In a recent interview Pegg stated that he didn’t add anything different to the role made so famous for nearly 40 years by the indomitable Canadian actor James Doohan. He even went on to say that he may be playing the famous Starfleet engineer but “James Doohan is `Scotty.’”
“I tried to approach the role like he did. He’s a Scottish engineer who works in outerspace. He’s a bit of a brawler. I didn’t try to facilitate change,” the 38-year-old British actor told the
Associated Press.
While the Brit didn’t let anything about the plot of this next Trek flick slip he did say that he has already signed on to do three potentional follow-up Trek movies as engineer Scott.
“I’m looking forward to doing that for the next few years,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll do a lot in between, too.”
NASA Comes to Its Senses
NASA has rescinded its order for the cut back on current Mars research. Yesterday we reported how the space agency was set to lay a load of scientists and technical analysts off due to budgetary cutbacks.
After all the stir from the press and scientific community it would appear that NASA has come to its senses and is rethinking that cut-back plan.
NASA is saying Tuesday that it has rescinded a letter that recommended budget cuts in the Mars Rover program to cover the cost of a next-generation rover on the Red Planet.
This comes just one day after the announcement from NASA of their plans to shut down 1 rover and layoff up to 300 employees.
Nice to see reason prevail over the almight dollar.
Two version of “Fanboys” on DVD…But What About the Theatrical Release?
Written by: Michael Hickerson (SoSF Staff Journalist)
The on-going saga of “Fanboys” continued this week when the Weinstein Company announced that it would release both versions of the film on DVD. However, the long-awaited film still hasn’t seen the light of day at the box-office, despite numerous delays and an enforced re-shoot by the Weinstein Company.
The film was initially produced by Kevin Spacey’s Trigger Street and featured a slate of up and coming young actors including Kirsten Bell, Seth Rogan and Jay Barachul. The initial script made the Hollywood blacklist as one of the top 40 projects in town when it began shooting.
“Fanboys” was initally set to be a story of a road-trip undertaken by several friends to break into the Skywalker Ranch and let a dying friend see a cut of “The Phantom Menance.” The initial shoot finished and footage was taken to several fan conventions where it met with overwhelming enthusiasm. Reports and word of mouth began to circulate on-line, including several reports here at Slice of SciFi, generating buzz and anticipation for the film.
Everything appeared to be lining up for release last year when the Weinstein Company picked up the movie for distribution.
And that’s where things started to go wrong for “Fanboys.” Studio exec Harvey Weinstein was discouraged by initial test screenings of the film and ordered extensive reshoots of the film, including the dropping of the friend dying of cancer storyline.
Producer Kevin Mann told the Hollywood Reporter, “The original reason we wanted to get involved with this script was because it was a comedy with heart. In my opinion, when the cancer was taken out, the heart went with it.”
Mann and director Kyle Newman refused to take part in the reshoots, leading Weinstein to hire another, outside director to complete the vision of the film he wanted. Initial test screenings of the film didn’t generate higher audience appreciation figures and in the meantime, the Weinstein Company had a bigger problem on their hands….
“Star Wars” fans
The rabid fan community for George Lucas’ “galaxy far, far away” caught wind of the re-writes and re-shoots and began a grassroots campaign to restore “Fanboys” to its original vision. Fan group the 501st created a web-site lampooning Weinstein, referring to him as Darth Harvey and letting fans know of the on-going news. The group had planned a bi-coastal protest for the opening of Weinstein Company’s “Superhero Movie” this weekend. That news more than anything else may have caught Weinstein’s attention and led to the news that “Fanboys” will hit DVD with both version.
“This is more about avoiding picket lines at ‘Superhero’ than it was about making a decision about the release of our movie,” said Mann.
But the question still remains–which version will the studio release in theaters?
“Harvey feels it’s hard to market, especially with this cast,” an insider at Weinstein told
The Hollywood Reporter. “He wants to market to a more teen audience. The filmmakers wanted a dramedy along the vein of the popular 1986 Rob Reiner flick ‘Stand by Me.’ ”
Some speculate that given that Weinstein poured $2 million into the re-shoot that is the version that will be seen in theaters. Others, including
Ain’t It Cool News‘ Quint, speculate that there could be two versions released theatrically. One to appeal to the teen audience that Weinstein wants with a PG-13 rating and an R-rated original version to appease the grass-roots fan who want to see the original version.
As of now, the only news is that fans will get both versions on DVD, though no word yet on if this will be a two-disc set or the studio will double-dip and release each version separately.
A release date for “Fanboys” has yet to be determined.
Oh Yeah! They Know We’re Here
If there is intelligent life out there zooming around in their interstellar craft then without doubt, should they happen upon us at night there would be little doubt that there is at least semi-intelligent life on this planet.
Here is what an alien would see if they passed close to Earth oribit over the North American Continent at night.
[View of parts of Canada, the USA, Mexico, Central America & Caribbean at night taken from the orbiting International Space Station]
Barbee Works to Extend Jericho’s Life
Written by: Michael Hickerson (SoSF Staff Journalist)
The second season finale of “Jericho” airs tonight at 10 p.m. EST on CBS and while CBS has given the show the axe for a second time, fans of the post-apocolyptic thriller shouldn’t lose hope that this will be the last time they’ll see the series.
Executive producer Carol Barbee confirmed that
there are negotiations in place with some cable networks to pick up the series for a third season.
“I can’t really say [much] about specifics, and, … partially, it’s because I’m not the one having those conversations,” Barbee said. “[CBS] Paramount [Television, which produces the show,] has been pursing it, and our agents have been into that, so, you know, I am pushing those people and coming up with ideas to have those people pursue.”
There were several ideas that have been floated, and there was some interest, but we’ll have to see,” she said. “It wasn’t something that could be sewn up before we were going to air the finale. … It would have been better had we been able to announce one with the other, but it just didn’t happen that fast.”
The cast and crew were informed of the cancellation last week and CBS has chosen the alternative ending for the series to air tonight. There were two endings–one that would involve a cliffhanger to lead into the third season and another that offered fans some closure while offering hints of where season three could go. CBS will air the “closure” ending tonight.
And should the show not get picked up by a network, there is hope in other avenues of new media distribution.
“There’s definitely an Internet series to be had, and we always talked about a graphic novel, and … a movie,” Barbee said. “I mean, there are lots of things that I could easily see as a way to continue the story.”
There will be a few hurtles to jump. Currently actors and production staff have been released to pursue other projects. In addition, the sets have been dismantled on the backlot used to film the series.
Weekend Box Office Final — March 21-23, 2008
All totals are U.S. box office only. SF and genre-related films in
bold.
Title (Dist)….Reported Weekend Box Office….Engagements….Cumulative
1.
Horton Hears A Who (20th Century Fox)….$24,590,596….3,961….$86,010,517
2. Tyler Perry’s Meet The Browns (Lionsgate)….$20,082,809….2,006….$20,082,809
3.
Shutter (20th Century Fox)….$10,447,559….2,753….$10,447,559
4. Drillbit Taylor (Paramount)….$10,309,986….3,056….$10,309,986
5.
10,000 B.C. (Warner Bros.)….$8,934,064….3,454….$76,401,302
6. Never Back Down (Summit Entertainment)….$4,827,250….2,729….$16,790,361
7. College Road Trip (Disney)….$4,697,683….2,575….$32,073,003
8. Bank Job, The (Lionsgate)….$4,191,773….1,613….$19,521,672
9. Vantage Point (Sony)….$3,805,541….2,124….$65,300,784
10. Under The Same Moon (The Weinstein Company)….$2,770,000….266….$3,496,710
Source: Variety Data provided by Rentrak
Hammer Centralizes Her Power
Bonnie Hammer may have moved out of the day-to-day minutia of running the SCI FI Channel, but that doesn’t mean she still isn’t in charge.
NBC Universal, under the direction of Ms. Hammer is now in the midst of shaking up its TV production units allowing her to centralize her power and influence over a wider area of the cable television industry.
She will now have full control of all of NBC Universal’s cable networks which includes SCI FI, Chiller, Sleuth, USA and Universal HD.
Say what you want about Hammer’s executive style, but under her leadership NBC cable stations, especially the SCI FI Channel and the USA Network have become some of the most watched channels in basic cable history in just 6 years under her firm hand. For that effort chief execs have awarded her more control and say over channel presidents on how they schedule programming for the networks.
What this means for the immediate is that Hammer will now lead all of Universal Media Studios cable programming, allowing her to complete the centralized streamlining ideas she first introduced on the SCI FI Channel and using that same model for the rest of the cable skeins.
“It’s a simple premise: Let the cable group control what it does, and let the network group concentrate on what it does,” Hammer said. “This gives us a little bit of control not only on the creative, but I’ll have an opportunity to control our own bottom line.”
By having more control over resources, her goal is to bring in monies that will allow more development of projects for their two biggest winners, The USA Network and SCI FI Channel.
Now whenever a new script idea comes along, it won’t necessarily be relegated to the network first. Under Hammer’s control, cable channels will be on an equal footing with the networks and be able to choose products that might otherwise never see the light of day on a conventional channel schedule with the cable networks having never heard about it or given a chance to develop it for themselves.
“This way, when stuff comes in,” Hammer added. “It’s ours.”
One of the first things Hammer did as the new boss to smooth out the transition was hire Dave Howe as the new president of the SCI FI Channel. One of Hammer’s goals assigned to Howe was to bring SCI FI up to the par of a FX Channel. A channel capable of creating top notch, award winning original programming that can compete with conventional network drama and be self-sustaining with a steady revenue flow.
Hammer will maintain her top office in New York but will spend a good deal of time, at least at first, commuting between the East and West coasts. Once everyone is on her page then much of the West coast duties can be run by Richard Rothstein, her VP in charge of the LA office for NBC Universal Cable Studio.
Of course, no matter how high one may rise every one still has a boss and Hammer is no exception. She will answer to Jeff Gaspin, Universal TV COO and Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal CEO. They in turn answer to NBC Entertainment/U Media Studios co-chairs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, as well as UMS prexy Katherine Pope; who themselves answer to General Electric’s (GE) Board of Directors who ultimately must give an accounting to the stock holders.
“Bonnie is one of the most talented executives in the industry, with an amazing track record of success,” Gaspin said. “She’ll be able to put her exceptional branding, programming and leadership skills toward an expanded portfolio of cable assets.”
“She’s a multi-talented executive who knows how to run a network, program it successfully and inspire a team,” Zucker said.
Jackman Gives Up Freedom for Safety
