John Berkey; Elvis; Twilight Zone (News from the frontier, 5/14/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:36 AM

Artist John Berkey, 1932-2008
StarWars.com reported yesterday that artist John Berkey passed away on April 29. He was 75. Berkey painted the cover of the 1976 novelization of Star Wars, an image that continued to appear on early editions of the book. Berkey also painted a poster depicting a dogfight over the Death Star, used as an insert in the original Star Wars soundtrack LP.

The StarWars.com article includes a link to a gallery of ten Berkey Star Wars images. Unfortunately, their link does not work properly and you cannot access the controls to move beyond the first image. Here is a corrected link to StarWars.com's "John Berkey Remembered" gallery that will allow you to toggle through those images (I hope the folks over at StarWars.com don't mind). You can also find pictures of Berkey's work in 2005's The Star Wars Poster Book by Stephen J. Sansweet and Peter Vilmur. Though known for his science fiction and Star Wars art, Berkey was reportedly not a science fiction fan and never saw Star Wars.

For a 1992 US Postal Servicing stamp voting campaign, Berkey also painted "Elvis Stamp B" (above), which depicted Elvis Presley as he appeared in his historic 1973 Aloha From Hawaii TV special (right). Berkey's image lost to Mark Stutzman's "Elvis Stamp A," which depicted Elvis in 1956, his first year of national fame. Stutzman's 1950s Elvis image became an official US stamp the following year, while Berkey's 1970s Elvis image was never issued.

I voted for Berkey's Elvis stamp back in 1992 and didn't even know about his Star Wars connection until reading The Star Wars Poster Book a couple of years ago. Though, again, I had no idea who the artist was back then, I actually had several posters of Berkey's science fiction and fantasy imagery hanging in my bedroom when I was growing up. He was a real talent and will be missed. For more information, read Berkey's obituary at StarTribune.com.

Elvis: That's The Way It Is (FTD Classic Album Series) available this week
Follow That Dream (FTD) records, BMG's Elvis Presley collectors label, is scheduled to release a 2-CD set of Elvis: That's The Way It Is this week to the US as part of its "Classic Album Series."

This 2008 edition of the 1970 album includes all of the original tracks, plus numerous alternate takes, a 20-page booklet, and other extras. The new Elvis: That's The Way It Is CD set was first released in Europe last month.

Check out Thomas' review, over at his Elvis Today blog, and Lex's review, over at ElvisNews.com. To obtain FTD CDs, visit ShopElvis.com. Most FTD CDs are much more interesting than the mainstream "greatest hits"-style Elvis CDs you'll find at your local store.

Twilight Zone graphic novels on the way for 50th anniversary
It's hard to believe that 2009 will mark the 50th anniversary of the television debut of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Next to the original Star Trek, The Twilight Zone is my favorite TV series. I grew up watching both of them, and still watch them now (yet another indication that I never did, in fact, grow up).

Publishers Weekly announced earlier this month that Walker & Co. will release a series of graphic novels based on Twilight Zone's original scripts, in conjunction with Rod Serling's estate. There will be at least eight graphic novels in all. Look for the first to hit US stores in October.

MST3K; Knight Rider; Buck Rogers (News from the frontier, 5/9/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:57 AM

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie re-released on DVD - finally!
So, Wednesday I watched This Island Earth on DVD. The 1955 film is one of the great science fiction movies of its time, complete with fairly decent special effects, plus one of the great movie aliens of all time. While watching it, I started thinking back on the last time I saw This Island Earth. It was the movie riffed in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, which I also haven't seen since catching it in the movie theater way back in 1996.

"Too bad the DVD is impossible to find unless you're willing to pay $90 for it," I thought. Lo and behold, while checking out the fine Deep Ape blog yesterday, I read that MST3K: The Movie was actually re-released on DVD on Tuesday (these are the kinds of weird things that happen to me all the time, I'm used to it). I usually try to let you know about interesting DVD releases in advance, but this one slipped me by.

It was great (and surreal) to see MST3K in the movie theater, but I also remember being a tad disappointed by the movie. For one thing, the movie's running time, including host segments, is 75 minutes. This Island Earth is an 87 minute movie. You do the math. I was hoping for an extended version on DVD, riffing the entire movie (assuming that they did in fact riff the entire movie and then trim it for the release; if not, that would explain it). However, this appears to be a bare-bones release of just the theatrical cut (without even the customary preview trailer that most bare-bone releases have). Looks like it's only $13.99 at Amazon, though, so I'm not really complaining.

I'm looking forward to finally being able to see this again. Thanks to Deep Ape for the heads-up. They also have another interesting article over there, about what might have been for the 20th anniversary of the show (can it really be twenty years already?).

Hey, I was just thinking - now that MST3K: The Movie is commonly available on DVD again, any chance of Mike Nelson recording a rifftrax for his own movie? Talk about surreal. Though it might be hard to riff during the riff segments, even a downloadable commentary track would be cool.

New Knight Rider TV series producer talks changes
Neil Epstein at Shadowyflight.com snagged a detailed interview with Gary Scott Thompson (The Fast and the Furious, Las Vegas), who is serving as executive producer and showrunner for NBC's new Knight Rider series. Thompson, who was not involved on the TV movie that aired earlier this year, seems to have a good sense of what made the 1980s series work. He also notes that his series will take things in new directions, including more advanced capabilities for KITT.

"[T]he first episode will be the template of what the series is going to be. You don't have to have seen that 2-hour [movie]. [. . .] The Knight Rider fans are going to come because they'll be curious and it's our job to make sure they stay, to give them everything that they want. What I really want to get is fans who didn't show up, or the fans who just thought, eh, that's that kitschy show from the 80s, why are they redoing it... I want them to see that first promo and go holy crap! This is Knight Rider? I gotta see this thing. That's what we're shooting for here. To get a new audience."

Thompson is also gearing the series towards a family audience, rather than the more adult-themed TV movie, bringing the show back to its roots. "There's not a lot of shows you can watch with your kids and we want to create the kind of show that you can watch with your kids. And your kids are getting one thing out of it and you're getting a completely different thing," he said.

I'm looking forward to seeing Thompson's take on Knight Rider this Fall. Be sure to read the complete interview over at Shadowyflight.com.

Buck Rogers movie in the works
As a fan of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century, I lament here on The Film Frontier every now and then that it has not yet received a modern movie adaptation. Well, apparently a movie is now in the early planning stages.

Josh Tyler over at CinemaBlend reports that Frank Miller may be among the candidates to direct the big-screen adaptation. Miller's previous directorial credit is Sin City, but comic book fans know him best as writer/artist for a popular 1980s revamp of Batman for DC.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut and Indy IV both prove that even dream projects can eventually get made, so I'll keep this one on the radar.

Star Trek: Remastered episodes for May 2008

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:55 AM

Scheduled for this month, on Star Trek: Remastered. . . .

Weekend of May 3: "Assignment: Earth"
The Enterprise journeys back in time to 1968 and intercepts the transporter beam of Gary Seven, who claims that he must sabotage a US missile test in order to save humanity from itself. This episode was Gene Roddenberry's pilot of sorts for a potential Star Trek spinoff series. NBC wasn't interested in 1968. Never fear, fellow Trekkies. I'm sure Gene Roddenberry's Assignment: Earth will eventually hit the airwaves in our lifetime, based no doubt upon three scribbled notes left behind by its creator. There's actually some chance for visual creativity in this episode for CBS Digital. We'll see if they take advantage of it.

Weekend of May 10: "Court-Martial"
Kirk is accused of purposely causing the death of a crewman who was also an ex-friend and visual evidence from the computer seems to implicate him.

Weekend of May 17: "A Private Little War"
The Enterprise finds that part of the population of a once-peaceful planet has now been armed by the Klingons. Naturally, the Enterprise gang arms the other side to even the odds. One of those sleepy Star Trek "message" episodes intended as a reflection on US foreign policy.

Weekend of May 24: "Whom Gods Destroy"
Kirk and Spock beam down to a Federation mental health facility (complete with yet another torture chair) and find out the hard way that the inmates are running the asylum. Though somewhat of a rehash of "Dagger Of The Mind," this episode at least offers a variety of alien species, including the first appearance of an actual Orion slave girl (who you just know would show up if there's ever a Star Trek edition of Deal or No Deal). There's also a classic Kirk vs. Kirk battle. You can never see too many of those.

Weekend of May 31: "The Mark Of Gideon"
Kirk attempts to beam down to planet Gideon, only to find himself still in the transporter room and the entire Enterprise crew missing. Though parts of this episode require a real suspension of disbelief, this is still one of my favorite third-season entries.

* * *

Star Trek: Remastered airs each weekend in syndication and features updated special effects and other enhancements to the original Star Trek series. Check your local listings for time and station.

Primary Information Source
startrek.com (Schedule information as published in August 2007; subject to change.)

The Film Frontier's Related Articles

RiffTrax; Incredible Hulk; Star Trek XI (News from the frontier, 5/1/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 10:04 AM

"Sir, there's no time to hand the dog back!"
It's been awhile since I've had a chance to cover Mike Nelson's RiffTrax here. New this week is the I Am Legend rifftrax, featuring the A-team of Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett.

Rifftrax are downloadable, audio-only files that feature Mystery Science Theater 3000-style riffs by former MST3k host Nelson and various guests. You just play your DVD while they riff the movie. There is a small fee for the download, but it's definitely worth it.

I Am Legend is the 2007 adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel, which also inspired The Last Man on Earth (1964) and The Omega Man (1971). I actually enjoyed I Am Legend quite a bit when I saw it for the first time last month. Will Smith does a fantastic job, as always. I preferred the alternate cut, available on the two-disc edition, over the theatrical release. Though I loved the movie, there's plenty of riffable material there.

Here's a sample clip of I Am Legend from Rifftrax.

[Video source: RiffTrax--YouTube]

Some of the other recent Rifftrax releases are Cloverfield, Spider-Man 3, The Matrix Reloaded, Jurassic Park, Batman & Robin, The Star Wars Holiday Special, Transformers, and Missile to the Moon.

Previous RiffTrax releases include the Star Wars prequel trilogy (Episode I, II, & III), Raiders of the Lost Ark, Independence Day, The Bourne Identity, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek Generations, X-Men, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, and The Matrix. (The Film Frontier's related articles)

Future RiffTrax fodder
Good or bad, you can bet The Incredible Hulk, which opens in theaters June 13, will eventually get the RiffTrax treatment. A new trailer for the film made its debut today, over on Apple.com.

I must admit, I continue to be impressed and might actually check this one out in the theater. I love the quick use of the theme song from the Bill Bixby television series near the end of the preview. Great touch that will help to get people like me, who know the character primarily based on that TV show, into a seat. The movie stars Edward Norton and Liv Tyler. (The Film Frontier's related articles)

Star Trek XI release just over a year away - again
Today feels a lot like December 18, 2007. Why's that? Because on December 18, 2007, JJ Abrams' Star Trek movie was just one year and seven days from release. Paramount later bumped the December 25, 2008, release date to May 8, 2009, though. This means that Abrams' Star Trek is once again just one year and seven days from release. In case you still haven't seen the excellent teaser trailer for this one, you can watch it at the official movie site, http://www.startrekmovie.com/.

The director recently spoke with David Germain, a movie writer for the Associated Press. Praising the work of George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic, which also provided the effects for Star Trek II, III, IV, VI, Generations, and First Contact, Abrams said, "[T]he effects for Star Trek have never, ever been done like this. ... I can only tell you the idea of the universe of Star Trek has never been given this kind of treatment." We'll find out the verdict on the Abrams and ILM treatment in just seven days . . . and one year. (The Film Frontier's related articles)

Routh talks Superman Returns II; Get Smart; Trek nostalgia (News from the frontier, 4/30/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 9:22 AM

Brandon Routh talks Superman Returns sequel
As reported on just about every Superman site recently, ComingSoon.net nabbed an exclusive interview with Brandon Routh, star of 2006's Superman Returns (film review/DVD review). Routh promoted his latest film, Lie to Me, but also talked about director Bryan Singer's Superman Returns sequel.

"I expect that we'll be working early next year [on the Superman Returns sequel]. I know that Bryan [. . .] is zeroing in on the story that he wants to tell. Once that arrives it's going to move pretty quickly," Routh said.

As on previous interviews, he repeated that he hopes this movie will involve more action for Superman against a powerful villain. "Certainly also, I'd like more humor from Clark or just more of Clark and Jimmy. A little bit more of Lois and Clark, how we used to see them, a bit more of buddies," he said. Be sure to read the entire interview over on ComingSoon.net.

Sounds like Routh, who I found impressive as both Superman and Clark, is on the right track. I'm just glad to see Singer's sequel back on the front burner and all of this distracting Justice League movie business out of the way for now. (The Film Frontier's related articles)

Anne Hathaway kicks ass in Get Smart
My most anticipated movie of the year, Get Smart, stars Steve Carell as Maxwell Smart and Anne Hathaway as 99, taking over roles made famous by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon on the 1965-1970 TV series. SCI FI Wire continues its excellent coverage of Get Smart today, releasing interviews with Carell and Hathaway from a visit to the set last year.

I happen to love movies that feature women in strong, action roles, something I trace back to Rene Russo's unforgettable performance in Lethal Weapon 3. Not only will Get Smart score points for adapting one of my favorite television series for the big screen (if it does the show justice, of course), but it seems Hathaway may have some great action sequences of her own.

"And I kick a little ass for three more days," Hathaway said during SCI FI Wire's set visit. "For me, at least, it's a three-part fight sequence. And the first part, I'd lost my gun in an earlier scene, so it's hand-to-hand combat. [. . .] My favorite bit is, like, I get to run up a wall and turn around and punch him." Read the full article over on SCI FI Wire.

Get Smart hits theaters on June 20. (The Film Frontier's related articles)

Trek to the past with vintage ad
Finally, check out this vintage Star Trek merchandise ad on Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin blog (always one of my favorite reads). The ad is from 1978, during simpler times for Trek. There was just one show, just one crew, and just one cast. Even Star Trek: The Motion Picture, with its associated bevy of merchandise, was still another year away. I remember most of these products still popping up in various magazines and catalogs in the mid-1980s. Thanks for the welcome trip down memory lane!

Deal or No Deal goes Star Wars

posted by Tygrrius @ 4:19 PM

Mark your calendars, fellow Star Wars fans. On Monday, April 28, from 8 to 10 PM Eastern, NBC will air a special Star Wars edition of its ever-popular game show Deal or No Deal, starring Howie Mandel. Two Star Wars fans will battle it out in a "winner take all" variation of the game. In one segment, the models will be replaced by Imperial stormtroopers.

The models return in another segment, dressed in "Slave Leia" style outfits from Return of the Jedi. Shankar Gupta over at 360i was kind enough to send over a clip of the ladies. Check it out below, or over at the official NBC site.

I wonder if it's cheating to use old Jedi mind tricks on Deal or No Deal? Something like this. . . .

Howie: Now let's open your case to see if you've made a good deal.

Tygrrius (waving hand): You don't need to see my case.

Howie (mesmerized): I don't need to see your case.

Tygrrius (waving hand): I have the million dollar case you're looking for.

Howie (still mesmerized): You have the million dollar case we're looking for!

Tygrrius (waving hand): And the ladies are all going home with me.

Howie (Snapping out of it): I don't think so. Besides, they happen to like nice men. Sara, open the case.

(Sara opens the case, revealing $0.01)

Tygrrius: This deal's getting worse all the time!

Be sure to watch Deal or No Deal on Monday, where one of the real contestants will hopefully make a better deal than this one.

"The Captain is dead." ("The Enterprise Incident" on Trek Remastered)

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:31 AM

What a great surprise to find a couple of images in my e-mail this morning for "The Enterprise Incident," this weekend's episode of Star Trek: Remastered. I was already looking forward to this installment, but these photos have pumped me up even more.

CBS Digital's Remastered team has added Romulan markings to the Klingon-style battle cruisers, distinguishing them from their Klingon counterparts. They have also added a Romulan bird-of-prey to the mix. These are both great enhancements that I can't wait to see this weekend.

In this episode, one of the series' best, a seemingly insane Kirk orders the Enterprise into Romulan space, bringing the Federation to the brink of war. As the culmination of episodes such as "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "A Piece of the Action," Spock finally learns how to effectively lie. Who says there's no character development in the original Star Trek?

Below are the press release and pictures for "The Enterprise Incident." Click on each picture to view larger versions, and be sure to watch this weekend. Thanks to the Trek Remastered team for the info and visuals.

* * *

Captain Kirk goes mad in "The Enterprise Incident," premiering this weekend


Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) seemingly goes insane in the remastered version of "The Enterprise Incident," premiering this weekend in nationwide syndication. Kirk orders the Enterprise across the Neutral Zone, where it is captured by Romulan forces. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) goes aboard a Romulan ship in a desperate bid to save his ship and his captain's life, but the Vulcan officer finds himself strangely drawn to the beautiful commander of the Romulan fleet (Joanne Linville).

Episode highlights include one of Star Trek's featured appearances of the feared Klingon Battle Cruiser, and the only time that it is seen commanded by Romulan forces. In the remastered version of the episode, the iconic Klingon ship now sports the signature Romulan bird-of-prey markings, first seen in "The Balance of Terror." The remastered episode also reintroduces the original Romulan ship design, now flying alongside with its larger Klingon-styled brethren.

The remastered version of "The Enterprise Incident" features all-new visual effects by CBS Digital and premieres during the weekend of April 5, 2008. The original episode was first aired in September 1968, and was written by D.C. Fontana and directed by John Meredyth Lucas. Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry and is distributed in nationwide syndication by CBS Paramount Television.

Images copyright © 1968, 2008 by CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures. Star Trek is a registered trademark of CBS Studios Inc. All rights reserved.

* * *

The Film Frontier's Related Articles

Star Trek: Remastered episodes for April 2008

posted by Tygrrius @ 12:54 PM

This month, on Star Trek: Remastered. . . .

Weekend of April 5: "The Enterprise Incident"
A seemingly insane Kirk orders the Enterprise into Romulan space, bringing the Federation to the brink of war. This episode should be another showcase for the talented folks at CBS Digital.

Weekend of April 12: "Obsession"
A mysterious killer cloud reminds Kirk of a failure from his past.

Weekend of April 19: "Mudd's Women"
The Enterprise busts a smuggler who is carrying a cargo of beautiful women. This episode marks the first appearance of Harcourt Fenton Mudd (Roger C. Carmel). Oddly, Star Trek: Remastered has already aired its sequel, "I, Mudd."

Weekend of April 26: "The Cage"
Under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), the Enterprise encounters a group of stranded survivors of a lost space mission. Also featuring Susan Oliver (The Twilight Zone) as Vina. "The Cage" was Star Trek's first pilot episode, which failed to sell the series. Portions of it were later used in "The Menagerie," which aired on Star Trek: Remastered last season. The stand-alone version of "The Cage" first aired in 1988, nearly twenty years after Star Trek was cancelled. This will likely be one of the best opportunities for the Star Trek: Remastered concept to shine.

* * *

Star Trek: Remastered airs each weekend in syndication and features updated special effects and other enhancements to the original Star Trek series. Check your local listings for time and station.

Primary Information Source
startrek.com (Schedule information as published in August 2007; subject to change.)

The Film Frontier's Related Articles

Introducing The Film Frontier's backup blog

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:34 AM

It appears that Blogger FTP, which allows blog uploads to domains like http://www.thefilmfrontier.com/, has been offline since last week. This is affecting thousands of blogs across the Web. With no known acknowledgment from Blogger on this issue, I've decided to create a "Site B" blog for The Film Frontier.

The backup blog, hosted directly with Blogger's Blogspot, will allow postings on The Film Frontier to continue until Blogger resolves their FTP mess. Since Blogger FTP is a lot more erratic than Blogspot, I'm sure this blog will come in handy more than once. Plus, this will give me a place to post if The Film Frontier exceeds its monthly bandwidth again and http://www.thefilmfrontier.com/ goes offline.

This "Site B" blog will fill in for the News, Reviews, and Proverbial Galaxies blogs, rather than handling them separately as on the main site. Content posted there will eventually make its way here to The Film Frontier's main blogs.

The "Site B" blog won't be an exact mirror of content on The Film Frontier, though. I'm not going to copy older posts over there at this time. I'm not sure if I'll continue posting there when Blogger FTP and http://www.thefilmfrontier.com/ are fully operational. We'll see. This opens a number of new possibilities, but I want to try these things out first.

Somebody pulled the plug

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:06 AM

Somebody pulled the plug, but The Film Frontier is back! Hopefully to stay this time, for I've implemented a couple of changes that should keep the site from exceeding its monthly web traffic allowance this month.

This week, we'll finally have a news update, a look at the Star Trek: Remastered episodes for April, a blog entry or two, and hopefully at least one review.

Thanks for sticking around!

The Film Frontier will return in April

posted by Tygrrius @ 11:59 AM

Once again, The Film Frontier has exceeded its maximum web traffic allowance for the month. This means the site will likely be "off the air" soon. When this happened for the first time ever last month, there seemed to be a grace period of a few days so I can't say for sure when the site will actually go offline.

I should be back either on March 31 or April 1 (no, this is not an April Fools joke - or if it is, the joke's on me).

Thank you for putting up with this situation. I have one final thing to try in April, and if that doesn't work out to alleviate this problem, then I'll do what's necessary to increase the traffic allowance.

See you on the flipside!

Superman Returns II; Buck Rogers comic; Incredible Hulk trailer (News from the frontier, 3/14/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 7:19 PM

Happy Friday, everyone. This week, some great news about the sequel to Superman Returns, the return of Buck Rogers, and a look at The Incredible Hulk.

Bryan Singer still attached to Superman Returns sequel
Superman Returns was one of the top ten US moneymakers of the year in 2006. With a domestic gross of $200 million, it raked in more at the box office than Casino Royale, The Pursuit of Happyness, Talladega Nights, Mission: Impossible III, and other certified "hits." Worldwide, it made nearly twice that.

Throwing aside the numbers, Bryan Singer's film was a masterpiece and one of the best comic book to film adaptations ever. Right up there with 1979's Superman, 2002's Spider-man, and 2005's Batman Begins.

Yet, as pointed out by Josh Tyler over at Cinema Blend, there is an odd misconception out there that Superman Returns was a flop. This has given rise to rumors over the last year or so that Bryan Singer will not return to direct the sequel and that Brandon Routh, who did an incredible job both as Clark Kent and Superman, would also be ousted.

After a lot of silence on the issue, Singer recently talked to Empire Online and confirmed that he's working on the sequel. This is no guarantee that the movie will actually be made, of course, but it's a bit of hope. The world needs Superman, and Singer has given us some faith that we won't have to wait another 19 years to see him again. (The Film Frontier's Related Articles)

The return of Buck Rogers
Though best known to my generation from the 1979-1981 television series, the character of Buck Rogers actually dates back to the late 1920s. He first appeared in two novellas, and then a newspaper comic strip. Since then, he has appeared in radio shows, movie serials, role-playing games, video games, and other formats. Like Superman, Buck Rogers was once a media empire. Over the last couple of decades, other than a DVD release of the TV series, Buck Rogers seems to have all but disappeared.

Fortunately, that is about to change. Dynamite Entertainment recently licensed the character, and is working on a comic book series. The legendary Alex Ross will be involved in character designs and contribute the first cover. The licensing agreement will also allow for collections of classic material, prints and posters, action figures, trading cards, statues, and other collectibles.

I'm definitely excited about this comic book. I hope to find a way to have it delivered by mail, like I do with Superman and Action, so I don't have to venture into a scary comic book store each month to get a copy. No word yet on the release date. More information will likely be revealed at the San Diego ComicCon.

Incredible Hulk preview trailer online
Earlier this week, MTV premiered a preview trailer for The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler.

The Incredible Hulk is wisely distancing itself from 2003's Hulk, which starred Eric Bana. Due to the first movie, Incredible Hulk has mostly been off my radar. What interested me about this trailer, though, is it appears to be tying in some elements of the 1977-1982 television series.

I don't read the Hulk comics, so the TV series is how I best know the character. (One of the best quotes ever: "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.") Hulk, who was a laughable pinhead in 2003, looks a lot more convincing this time around as well.

Will this Hulk be incredible? Find out on June 13.

And the rest. . . .
· Variety: Agent 99 gets tough in Get Smart
· Entertainment Weekly: Star Trek scribes—What Indiana Jones means to us
· Superman Homepage: A way to fix Superman comics
· New York Times: Batman’s burden—A director confronts darkness and death
· Variety: Segel and Stoller take on Muppets

Rosenman; Serling; Buck Rogers (News from the frontier, 3/7/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 8:45 AM

Leonard Rosenman, 1924-2008
Leonard Rosenman, best known to Star Trek fans as the composer of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 83. Rosenman, who once taught James Dean to play piano before the young actor helped kick off his film-composing career by recommending him for 1955's East of Eden, suffered a heart attack, according to his family.

The composer of both film and television scores won Academy Awards for his work on Barry Lyndon (1975) and Bound for Glory (1976). He also earned Academy Award nominations for Cross Creek (1983) and 1986's Star Trek IV, one of only two Star Trek films to receive this honor. Rosenman also won Emmy awards for Sybil (1976) and Friendly Fire (1979).

Rosenman is survived by his wife, three children, and four grandchildren.

* * *

After two spectacular soundtracks from James Horner for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Rosenman contributed a unique entry that fit perfectly with Star Trek IV. Rosenman's score still stands as Star Trek's most uplifting soundtrack, befitting the overall message of the film.

One of my favorite scenes in Star Trek history is the reveal of the Enterprise-A at the end of Star Trek IV. Rosenman's music at that point, as with the rest of the film, is simply perfect and raises the emotional impact of the moment. I rank him with Horner and Cliff Eidelman (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) as one of Star Trek's most talented composers.

My condolences go out to his family and friends.

· The New York Times: Leonard Rosenman, composer for films, dies at 83
· Associated Press: Film & TV composer Leonard Rosenman dies
· USA Today: Oscar-winning composer Leonard Rosenman dead at 83

Serling to join Hall of Fame
On June 21, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame & Museum in Seattle will induct the late Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone, into its ranks. Also being inducted this year are Ian and Betty Ballantine (publishers), William Gibson (Neuromancer), and Richard Powers (The Gold Bug Variations). Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was among last year's inductees. Check out the SF Hall of Fame online.

NBC releases vintage shows online
NBC has released full episodes of a number of classic series, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Emergency!, Rod Serling's Night Gallery, and the original Battlestar Galactica.

As reported last week, if you live in the US, you can catch episodes of Star Trek and The Twilight Zone over on CBS.com.

And the rest. . . .
· SCI FI Wire: Dungeons & Dragons creator Gygax dies
· Superman Homepage: Review - Superman: The Music (1978-1988)
· StarWars.com: Finding the Quizbook Master
· Newsarama: First Look: Alex Ross Age of TV Heroes cover
· SCI FI Wire: Transmitter seeks new readers

Get Smart trailer; Star Trek and Twilight Zone episodes online; Elvis & Star Wars (News from the frontier, 3/2/2008)

posted by Tygrrius @ 6:16 AM

Good morning, folks. It's catch-up time, so I have a lot of news for you today.

Get Smart movie news roundup
Now that Paramount has moved Star Trek to 2009, the movie I'm most excited about this year is the revitalization of Get Smart, starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. My wife and I have been watching the original Get Smart on DVD to get ready. The new preview trailer released last week by Warner Brothers looks fantastic. Check it out on the official Get Smart movie site. Get Smart hits theaters on June 20.

SCI FI Wire has a number of interesting articles on Get Smart. Carell wisely decided not to imitate the legendary Don Adams while portraying the character. "There's no way to improve upon what he did," said Carell, who says he instead tried to evoke the spirit of the character.

"Honestly, for me the catch phrases were the toughest part, because it's hard to say them or think of them in any other way than the way that Don Adams did them. So, again, I tried not to do an impersonation of him, but I tried to sort of let them come out of the situation and not feel like they should stick out in any way," he said. (Read the full article.)

This is actually not the first time Carell has tackled a character from a legendary 1960s television series. In 2005's Bewitched, he appeared as Uncle Arthur to counsel Will Ferrell. Uncle Arthur was made famous by Paul Lynde on the television version of Bewitched. Carell's Bewitched cameo was a slightly different situation than his Get Smart role, though. In Bewitched, he really is supposed to be the exact same fictional incarnation of Uncle Arthur portrayed by Lynde. Even stock footage of Lynde is shown earlier in the movie. The Get Smart movie, on the other hand, is a total restart of the franchise.

Within a couple weeks of the release of Get Smart to theaters, Warner Brothers will also release a direct-to-DVD movie, Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control. The spinoff film stars Masi Oka (Heroes) and Nate Torrence (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), who also have supporting roles in Get Smart.

Here are a couple of other articles on Get Smart:

· SCI FI Wire: Smart's 99 honors Feldon
· SCI FI Wire: Smart apes Bourne?

CBS releases Star Trek and The Twilight Zone for free online viewing in the US
Every episode of all three seasons of the original Star Trek is now available over at CBS.com for free viewing by those in the United States. These are unaltered versions of the shows, not the versions shown in syndication for Star Trek: Remastered. The first two seasons of the original The Twilight Zone, which lasted five seasons, are also available online.

· CBS.com: Star Trek video episodes
· CBS.com: The Twilight Zone video episodes

Elvis & Star Wars
Don't worry, I'm not going to start covering "Elvis Trooper" here. However, there are some legitimate connections between Elvis Presley and Star Wars. As a member of both fanbases, I've observed a lot of this stuff first-hand over the years. Thomas over at the Elvis Today blog compiles some of them in his article "Elvis, Star Wars style."

When I visited Graceland in 1990, one of the things mentioned on the tour was that on the last night of his life, Elvis tried to obtain a copy of Star Wars to show his daughter, Lisa Marie, but none were available. Elvis and Star Wars will always share 1977, which really had two huge entertainment headlines--one was the launch of the legendary Star Wars in May and the other was the loss of the legendary Elvis Presley in August. Both stories have had rippling effects all the way to the present.

In 1968, Steve Binder directed ELVIS, a Christmas special that became the most-watched show of the year and revitalized Elvis' career. Today, it is known as Elvis: The '68 Comeback Special. When I watch this special, sometimes I think about how only a decade later, Elvis would be gone and Binder would be directing another Christmas special - 1978's infamous Star Wars Holiday Special. In a unique way, Binder was there for the best of Elvis and the worst of Star Wars.

In June 1977, just six weeks before his death, Elvis was filmed for another television special, Elvis In Concert. The director of that special, which didn't air until about six weeks after Elvis' death, was Dwight Hemion. Hemion, who passed away just over a month ago, teamed up with Binder the next year for that very same Star Wars Holiday Special, for which he served as Executive Producer. Like the Star Wars Holiday Special, the complete version of Elvis In Concert is not officially available for purchase.

Want to try something fun? Watch the car race in the Nevada desert at the end of Elvis' Viva Las Vegas right after watching the pod race in the Tatooine desert in Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace. There are actually a number of striking similarities, which I will detail in some future post [4/28 Update: Here's a full article on Viva Las Star Wars!]. A stretch, you say? Mere coincidences? Until I nab an exclusive interview with George Lucas himself to clear this up, I won't be so sure.

Anyway, I stumbled across the top-notch Elvis Today blog while looking up info about another Elvis project, This Is Elvis. I watched the 1981 theatrical cut of this rockumentary for the first time in years the other day. Elvis Today is an extremely well-written blog. I was so thrilled to find it that I actually went back and read all 90 or so of its entries. I've not done this for any other blog out there, including the myriad of ones available for Star Trek (there are some Elvis connections there, too; I'll also save them for another day).

In one posting, Thomas sums up what it feels like to be an Elvis fan better than anything else I've ever read:

"On the highway I put the fourth CD from the Today, Tomorrow & Forever box set in the car stereo and there was "See See Rider" from February 1970 blasting through the speakers. It's hard to explain what I felt, but I remember thinking 'Man, I'm gonna listen to Elvis and his music until the very day I die.'"

That makes two of us.

And the rest. . . .
· The Official Star Wars Blog: Missing In Action--Rusty Miller [author of The Jedi Master's Quizbook]
· TrekWeb: Eric Stillwell on The Making of "Yesterday's Enterprise"
· Newsarama: Voltron--Defender of the Universe #12, the full issue
· SCI FI Wire: Guns wiped from Indy trailer
· SCI FI Wire: Heroes gears up soon
· Superman Homepage: Exclusive interview with Jake Rossen [author of Superman vs. Hollywood]
· Cinema Blend: Robert Englund sounds off on Nightmare remake
· Cinema Blend: Sigourney Weaver heartsick over Alien sequels
· SCI FI Wire: T4 gets 2009 date
· SCI FI Wire: Anderson finds Scully again [X-Files 2]
· SCI FI Wire: Shazam delayed, not dead
· SCI FI Wire: Justice is back on track
· Justice League: The New Frontier - Official Movie Site [animated DVD released last week]

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And that's about all the time we have for this installment of News From The Frontier. Have a great day, everyone.

Star Trek: Remastered episodes for March 2008

posted by Tygrrius @ 5:52 PM

This month, on Star Trek: Remastered. . . .

Weekend of March 1: "The Apple"
Kirk and crew beam down to a planet of seeming paradise, until people start dying. "The Apple," which won't make anyone's top ten list of best Star Trek episodes, features a pre-Starsky and Hutch David Soul.

Weekend of March 8: "By Any Other Name"
A group of beings hijacks the Enterprise and transforms most of the crew into tetrahedral blocks. Though the Kelvans are supposedly super-intelligent, they make a major mistake by sparing Kirk this same fate. "By Any Other Name" is notable to me, only because it is the first specific episode of Star Trek I can remember watching. This was in the late 1970s and I was two or three years old. The only reason I remember the exact episode is because the scene where the Kelvans reduce a couple of minor characters into blocks and crush one of them into dust, killing her, really scared me!

Weekend of March 15: "That Which Survives"
As Kirk and crew members are in the process of beaming down, a beautiful woman appears in the transporter room and kills an ensign while they watch helplessly. Don't you hate when that happens?

Weekend of March 22: "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"
The Enterprise plays host to a Medusan, a being who causes insanity if viewed by a human. Not only does this episode feature a young Diana Muldaur (later of Star Trek: The Next Generation), but also the IDIC medallion - Gene Roddenberry's marketing trinket that Leonard Nimoy nearly refused to wear. What some Star Trek fans almost consider a relic started out as nothing more than a merchandising opportunity. That's why we all need to remind ourselves from time-to-time that Star Trek is in the entertainment business. When people forget that, when they try to make too much of it, try to make it more than it is, then they end up with Star Trek: The Motion Picture and similar disasters. Star Trek is an entertainment and money-making venture, not a bible for the future.

Weekend of March 29: "Elaan of Troyius"
The face that launched a thousand starships? Not quite, but Kirk falls for her anyway - sort of.

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Star Trek: Remastered airs each weekend in syndication and features updated special effects and other enhancements to the original Star Trek series. Check your local listings for time and station.

Primary Information Source
startrek.com (Schedule information as published in August 2007; subject to change.)

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