News: December 2007 Archives

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" "Arggggh!" etc..

A new web site for Primeval has launched, over at itv.com. Just a tantalising bleak control room at the moment, but I've been told that over the next few weeks content will be coming, including latest news, sneak peeks and previews for series 2.

And...
I have an exclusive image of one of the show's upcoming monsters:



A sabre tooth tiger! Cool.

I was pleasantly surprised by Primeval, it was fun, didn't take itself too seriously, had action packed episodes and an interesting main story arc, which turned at a tangent at the end of the series. (Oh, and it had Hannah from S-Club 7 dancing in knickers).

A bit old, it was published 7th Dec, but The Times' Christmas SFF book list is...

• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
• Heart-Shaped Box and 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
• Brasyl by Ian McDonald
• Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge

The only surprising entry is the Ray Bradbury book.

I should also mention that The Dumbies are on their way. Yes, the prestigious, annual, Big Dumb Object awards are back again for a third year. The judges are getting ready, the world of SF is waiting on baited breath.... not long now.

Wow, the viral hype machine is going all out with Cloverfield. Here's a clip which includes a competition, although only if you're in the US, BOOOOO! What about the rest of the world JJ? Fortunately so far all the clips have been superb, this looks like apocalypse by monster as Godzilla should have been. And I still have seen nothing to prove it isn't a Cthulhu film. [Via SFSignal]


 

The BBC have put another trailer online for the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special, Voyage Of The Damned. This one is 40 seconds long, has spooky music, and shows us that everything is not exactly as we expected...

Interzone is now available in digital formats at Fictionwise.

"Beginning with Fictionwise’s regular release of new titles on Monday, December 17, 2007, readers will have the option of purchasing single issues or a one-year subscription. The eBooks will debut with the three latest issues of Interzone: 211, 212, & 213. Future issues will appear alongside the arrival of the print edition. At this time, there are no plans to offer any issues before 211."

That's great news, not only for overseas readers but also for UK readers who want to sample an issue, because at the moment it's quite hard to find Interzone in magazine shops (so single issue impulse buys are not likely).

Both Uncle Zip's Window (M. John Harrison) and SF Diplomat (Jonathan McCalmont) are closing down. Which is a shame, but understandable.

I've thought about giving up blogging just about every year since I started, about 100 years ago. But instead I just let the blog idle, prune my feeds and find some new inspiration. Although this blog is severally lacking inspiration at the moment, and I can't see that changing this year. So bear with me whilst BDO idles into the new year.

ITV is showing their "coming soon to ITV2" trailer in quite heavy rotation. The first show that it's plugging is Bionic Woman. They also have  a dedicated section of the site for Bionic Woman too.

In what's being billed as taking 2000AD global, the galaxies greatest comic is launching a download service. The digital versions will be available a week after the print edition, and you'll be able to read them on your iPod.

Via UK SF Book News

The Torchwood Institute is an American Doctor Who and Torchwood blog. They have news that Torchwood is likely to be shown in the US at almost the same time as in the UK, starting January 2008.

James Cameron gives some detail on how his new Science Fiction project Avatar is coming along.

"The first couple of weeks we were still coming up to speed, figuring out how to control the interocular and convergence for all different types of shooting situations. But we've got that dialed in now."

Oh.

Via Dave

I like it



Via Dave, a tame AICN reader.

There's a nice interview with Alastair Reynolds in Physics World [Via SFSignal].

I used to have Physics World delivered to me in the past, when I was a physicist. In fact probably still got some knocking around somewhere. I don't remember any interviews with SF authors! Interesting to see things from the physicist becoming writer angle.

Alastair's advice...

What advice do you have for physics students thinking of a career in science-fiction writing?

Write short fiction, and keep working at it until you break into the science-fiction magazine market. Many of the big names made an initial splash in the magazine market, and it's often how they caught the eye of editors and publishers. I published my first stories when I was working towards my PhD and the contacts I established from those early days eventually led to my getting a contract to write novels. Also, make the most of your scientific literacy. Editors like to see "hard science-fiction" stories — fiction where the science plays a strong role in the narrative, even if it's wildly speculative. They never see enough of this type of story, and so are more than willing to forgive minor deficiencies in characterization, plotting, style and so on, provided the ideas are fascinating. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't work hard at those things as well — no one gets a get-out-of-jail-free card!

It's Christmas Day. The wrapping paper has been collected. Toys have been opened. Batteries have been cursed. Turkey and Christmas Pudding have been eaten. The Queen has said some stuff. Everyone has had a nap.

What next? Turkey sandwhiches?

Well, yes, but also Doctor Who.

Christmas Day, BBC1, 6.50pm for 71 minutes - Voyage of the Damned.

That's about as prime time as you get in the UK. And also the longest episode of new Doctor Who yet created.

The Christmas trailer is online now too.

Torchwood has the skeleton of a new website up. With new things on the way...

"The new site will launch shortly with a brand new design and with all new content. There will be more than 50 exclusive behind the scenes videos, including video diaries produced by the main cast members. We'll have interviews with the guest stars, all the new monsters and the crew. We've also commissioned rich media 'case files' for every episode which will enable viewers to delve deeper into the Torchwood world. These will include unseen footage and completely new material that will be unavailable anywhere else."

Via Torchwood.Tv

If nothing else I Am Legend has some cool looking marketing assets. See here for a selection of global banners the London one is shown above, or here for even more.

Despite being vehemently wary about this film, I'll still go and see it, mainly to see if I was right. It's released on 21st December in the UK (and a week earlier in the US), just in time for some cheery Christmas apocalypse.

Ansible 245, December 2007

The BBC have issued a press release stating that Torchwood will begin series two mid-January 2008, and it will be shown on BBC2, rather than the all digital BBC3.

The most interesting part of the release is this sentence...

"In response to audience demand, younger fans will now have the opportunity of watching a specially edited pre-watershed repeat."

Which I choose to interpret as "all that adult sex and violence stuff was a bit rubbish so we'll cut it down, plus the younger viewers are a lot less fussy so maybe we can hook them in."

Guest stars include James Marsters (Buffy something),Alan Dale (Neighbours), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), Richard Briers (The Good Life), Nerys Hughes (The Liver Birds) and Ruth Jones (Gavin And Stacey).

The series will have 13 episodes.

I hope it won't be as dreadful as series one.

December 1st? Must be time for the Doctor Who Advent calendar. The front page has another picture of Kylie in a maids outfit, and behind are some scary looking angels.