Dragonlance License "Extended" and Dragonlance Animated Movie News

Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro have extended the current Dragonlance license with Margaret Weis Productions. The non-renewed license will expire at the end of January 2008, rather than at the end of this year. This extension will enable Margaret Weis Productions to complete any releases they have listed in their catalogue, but it does mark the end of a great partnership.

As one of the authors of the original Dragonlance trilogy, and several sequels, Margaret Weis was (and is) an ideal partner for Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro. But with next year being the 25th anniversary of the release of the Dragonlance, it makes sense for Wizards/Hasbro to attempt to draw profit directly from sales rather than through a license. I only hope that during the large 25th anniversary event Wizards has planned that they will include Margaret Weis in the products.

In other Dragonlance news, I wanted to let any Cinerati readers who weren't paying attention in on the status of the upcoming Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight. The film is slated to be released this September, but I can't tell whether it will be a theatrical or D2DVD release. The high quality cast, and the fact that Paramount is listed as the "theatrical" distributor, hint that the film will be theatrical, but the "novice" director and screenwriter (as well as the connection with Epic Level Entertainment)hint at a D2DVD release. Add to these factors the insanely rapid time between conception and planned release, two years for an animated film, and D2DVD is the most likely.

I am looking forward to the release of the film, even though I am not the world's largest Dragonlance fan. I found the original novels to have huge narrative holes, partly due to the fact that much of what happens in the Dragonlance game modules (those things the players play) were left out of the written narrative. This was even true when the events in the modules were narratively significant. Though, recently Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have been writing those events in a new series of novels for Wizards of the Coast.

Game Designer and Author Matt Forbeck Interview on Geekerati Radio Monday, July 2.

Award winning game designer and author Matt Forbeck will join the panelists at Geekerati Radio at 7pm PDT. In addition to discussing his latest projects, Forbeck will talk with the panelists about his influences and his general thoughts about media tie-in fiction, SF and Fantasy, and the state of the gaming industry.

Fans can listen to the show live, and call in with questions at (646) 478-5041, by visiting the Geekerati website (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/geekerati) during the broadcast. Those who miss the live broadcast will be able to listen to an archived version of the show approximately fifteen minutes after it airs online. During the show, the Geekerati panel will be giving away copies of his first Blood Bowl novel and his Eberron novel Road to Death.

Matt Forbeck has worked full-time on games and fiction since 1989, when he graduated from the Residental College at the University of Michigan with a degree in Creative Writing. With the exception of a four-year stint as the president of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and two years as the director of the adventure games division at Human Head Studios, he freelanced for most of that time. He has worked with many top companies, including Atari, Ubisoft, Wizards of the Coast, Games Workshop, Playmates Toys, Mattel, TSR, Decipher,White Wolf, Pinnacle, Green Ronin, AEG, Reaper Miniatures, Image Comics, WildStorm Productions, Idea + Design Works, and Human Head.

Matt has designed collectible card games, roleplaying games, miniatures games, and board games, and has directed voiceover work and written short fiction, comic books, novels, and computer game scripts and stories. Forbeck is currently working on several projects, including the novelization for the upcoming Mutant Chronicles film starring John Malkovich, Ron Perlman, and Thomas Jane. Forbeck was co-designer of the Mutant Chronicles Second Edition roleplaying game, upon which the film is based. Additionally, Forbeck worked on upcoming
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law video game for the PSP and PS2.

Matt is a proud member of the Alliterates, a group of fiction writers and game designers, all of who have been published by TSR or Wizards of the Coast. He also belongs to the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers and the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design and is a member of the board of directors of the Madison chapter of the International Game Developers Association.

Projects Matt has worked on have been nominated for 23 Origins Awards and won 12. This includes the Best Roleplaying Game for Deadlands and The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, Best Miniatures Rules for Warzone and The Great Rail Wars, Best Roleplaying Adventure for Independence Day, Best Fantasy Board Game forGenestealer, and Best Short Story for "Prometheus Unwound" from The Book of All Flesh. He has also won five ENnies.

ABOUT GEEKERATI RADIO – Geekerati Radio is an online radio show hosted by Christian Johnson, Shawna Benson, Bill Cunningham, Eric Lytle, Wes Kobernick, and Steven Merrill which features discussion of popular culture by geeks for geeks and is a featured show in the BlogTalkRadio network. The Geekerati Radio show airs Monday nights at 7pm Pacific and the archives are available 24/7.

- END -

Interesting News on the Gaming Front for Fantasy Movie Fans

Two Years ago I gave a review of Fantasy Flight's excellent game Beowulf the Legend, designed by Reiner Knizia. If you haven't played it, you should check it out because it might just alter the way you look at board games. The game utilizes a series of different bidding systems that, as the game unfolds, reveal a winner. The game mechanics are very common in "euro" style games, the kind of games that Knizia develops, but are rare in the "american" style war games.

It seems that Fantasy Flight is releasing a "follow up" to this game that will be released in "October." I put October in quotes because Fantasy Flight is notoriously tardy with game releases and the FFG website lists November. The follow up game is a licensed board game adaptation of Robert Zemeckis' upcoming Beowulf film. I cannot understate how HUGE a deal it is that a small time game company, though FFG is certainly an excellent and growing company -- they are no Hasbro, to acquire this license. The board game will share the Beowulf theme with the prior release, but will use systems based on Reiner Knizia's game Kingdoms. Unlike Beowulf: the Legend, the Kingdoms game (which the upcoming Beowulf the Boardgame's systems will be based upon) is a territory control game where players attempt to acquire resources.

According to the press release the Beowulf rules will significantly modify the basic rules of Kingdoms, including the addition of a "three act" structure which follows the Beowulf narrative. The game will feature high quality plastic pieces and use artwork from the film.

I am excited to see this game released and hope that it might provide a "gateway" for new people into the board game hobby.

Monday, June 25, SF and Fantasy Author Susan Palwick Discusses Her New Novel Shelter Live on Geekerati Radio.

Award winning Science Fiction and Fantasy author Susan Palwick will join the panelists at Geekerati Radio at 7pm PDT. In addition to discussing her latest novel, Palwick will talk with the panelists about her influences and her general thoughts about the state of SF/F today.

Fans can listen to the show live, and call in with questions, by visiting the Geekerati website (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/geekerati) during the broadcast. Those who miss the live broadcast will be able to listen to an archived version of the show approximately fifteen minutes after it airs online. During the show, the Geekerati panel will be giving away two copies of her most recent novel, Shelter, and one copy of her previous novel, The Necessary Beggar.



Susan Palwick holds a doctoral degree from Yale and is an associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has written three novels, Flying in Place (Tor Books, 1992, reprinted 2005), The Necessary Beggar (Tor Books, 2005), and Shelter (Tor Books 2007). A collection of many of her short stories, The Fate of Mice (Tachyon Publications 2007) was published earlier this year. Flying in Place won the Crawford Award for Best First Fantasy Novel, presented annually by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. The Necessary Beggar received starred reviews from PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY, BOOKLIST and LIBRARY JOURNAL (which also named it one of the best genre books of 2005). Additionally, The Necessary Beggar was honored with an Alex Award from the American Library Association, won a Silver Pen award from the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, and is a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award. Shelter recently received a starred review from LIBRARY JOURNAL. Palwick’s stories often examine issues of identity and the relationships between the individual and society.

ABOUT GEEKERATI RADIO – Geekerati Radio is an online radio show which includes Christian Johnson, Shawna Benson, Bill Cunningham, Eric Lytle, Wes Kobernick, and Steven Merrill in a round table discussion of popular culture by geeks for geeks. Geekerati Radio is a featured show in the BlogTalkRadio network. The Geekerati Radio show airs Monday nights at 7pm Pacific.

You can contact the Geekerati Crew at geekeratiradio_at_gmail.com.

Jurassic Park with Cyberdinosaurs

Be careful what you hunt for.

Pinkberry Contains Yogurt

Los Angeles Times finds that Pinkberry does contain yogurt.

Los Angeles Times: Pinkberry, the taste that launched a thousand parking tickets.

Pinkberry's Official Site.

Wikipedia: Pinkberry.

Listen to My Radio Show... Dammit.

For those of you who didn't listen live, our most recent radio show, from Monday at 7pm ,is now available for listening.



If you are the first listener to email me at geekeratiradio@gmail.com answering the trivia question on the show you will win an autographed picture of Katee Sackhoff.

Finding Neverland Director to Helm Bond 22

Coming on the heels of Martin Campbell's redefinition of the Bond character in Casino Royale, Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction) will be directing the next Bond film. The 22nd installment of the franchise will also see the return of Daniel Craig in the starring role.

Initially, the choice of Forster to direct the new film may seem an odd one, but I think it might be a further step in the right direction. While Campbell's Casino Royale was one of my favorite Bond films in years, I think that had more to do with the inclusion of Alexander Witt as the Second Unit Director than it did with any input Campbell had as Director. Casino's strengths were in the action and Craig's acting, and not in the subtle direction of small scenes.

Let us ask the question the following way. Please allow for the underlying assumptions (the "given" statements) for the sake of the argument, even if you disagree.

1. GIVEN: That Casino Royale was one of the best James Bond films ever made.


2. GIVEN: The Bourne Identity was a key film in the redefinition of the spy film genre.


3. GIVEN: One of the things that made Casino Royale so entertaining was the way the action sequences awed the audience.


4. GIVEN: Martin Campbell directed Goldeneye, Vertical Limit, and No Escape in addition to two Zorro films without Alexander Witt as Second Unit Director.


5. GIVEN: The above films had wide range of quality, from good to bad.


6. GIVEN: Goldeneye has a very different "feel" than Casino Royale


7. GIVEN: Alexander Witt was Second Unit Director on Black Hawk Down, The Bourne Identity, Gladiator, Black Rain, and Speed.


8. GIVEN: The action sequences in the listed Alexander Witt films have certain stylistic similarities that contributed to the entertainment value of those films.


9. GIVEN: Casino Royale had a "Bournesque" feel to a lot of the action.


10. THUS: Alexander Witt had a lot to do with what was entertaining about Casino Royale

With all of the above in mind, I think that bringing in a director who has directed some very entertaining (non-action based) films in the past is a way that the Bond films could improve. But only if they hire the right Second Unit Director.

The Earth's Mightiest Heroes Coming to Big Screen

When one imagines the reaction of a comic book fan to the news that The Avengers (totally different than The Avengers) were finally coming to the Big Screen, one imagines images of geeky childhood delight. Well, according to Borys Kit of the Hollywood Reporter, the first part of that equation has arrived. The Avengers will be coming to the big screen, with a screenplay by Zak Penn.

But the second par of that imagining, isn't happening on my part. Instead, I worry. I worry an unreasonable amount. I am getting hives from worry. I am very precious about my dear Avengers. You see, they are my favorite superhero team. I own every issue of their comics, no small feat, and have stuck with them through thick and thin. Sure, I don't think that The Avengers have ever been as entertaining as the Giffen/Maguire/Dematteis era of The Justice League, but their lows haven't been as low and their "average" level of writing has kept me entertained for over thirty years. So, in my preciousness I am worried that any Avengers movie will lack the heart of what I enjoy about the franchise.

But my preciousness is really the least of my worries. I am more concerned with the fact that The Avengers are a TEAM, a very large team, as this picture demonstrates.



That picture was drawn in the 90s. Since then the list of heroes who have been a part of The Avengers has only grown. No, I don't expect any movie about The Avengers to try to include every Avenger, but I do expect the movie to be a team movie and that means team movie problems.

What team movie problems?

Well, there's the whole, "how do you introduce the team members to an audience who might not know them" problem. This problem was key in the weaknesses of the Fantastic Four film. Too much time covering the back story and you end up with no narrative.

Then there's the "too many heroes" problem. What heroes do you choose and how many? How many are too many? Which heroes get personal narratives? Do any? Is this just a "group" story, in which case it isn't very Marvelesque, or does it have the requisite Marvel soap opera qualities?

Finally, there's the "satisfying the fanboy" problem. How obscure do you get with the members of the team? Do you do the "original Avengers," Iron Man, Hulk, Ant-Man, and Thor (with Captain America coming quickly, but the Hulk leaving as rapidly)? Do you go with the "classic Avengers," Iron Man, Ant-Man (in one of his multiple forms), Vision, Captain America, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Wasp? Is that even really the "classic Avengers?" What about Black Panther and Beast? They both rule and spent a lot of time hanging out with the team.

I don't want to think about it. I'll just think about the animated movies they did recently. They were okay. They lacked the Marvel essence, but they were a good team adventure.

I don't even want to think of who the villain might be in an Avengers movie.

Zak, I don't envy you the attempt.

Vecna has Made His Move!

I thought that the BEAR retrieval units were going to be used for rescuing soldiers, but it appears the BBC got it all wrong. The BEARS are tearing down the various barricades citizens have designed to protect themselves from the growing Zombie scourge.

I can hear the BEAR pounding on my steel safety door, but I didn't expect the cooing sound...

So...calming...

Isn't he cute...

Maybe I should just let him in...

No! I must do my radio show this evening. Time to call my buddy Kas. Better to be a vampire than a mindless zombie.

Dieting

Yeah, so the timing on this is pretty ironic. I mean, I just started on an anti-hypertension diet yesterday, and now it looks like it was a bit too late. Or maybe too early on the other hand. I mean, who cares about high blood pressure when you have zombies around, anyway?

Ironically, if zombies were to eat my mortgage company and a certain attorney, I think I'd be feeling a lot less stressed out at the moment. I suppose I prefer even attorneys to zombies, anyway.

I guess the new diet will be helpful if I ever have to run from some zombie gang, but I'd hate to get in shape just in time to join the ranks of the undead. I mean, I haven't seen many fat zombies anyway--I guess brains don't exactly have a lot of saturated fat--but then again that may just be selection bias. Maybe the films of fat zombies don't make it on the news. That would be typical.

Boston Legal Lets Go of Four Actors Due to Zombie Apocalypse (BLITEOTW)

According to TV Guide, Julie Bowen, Mark Valley, Rene Auberjonois and Constance Zimmer won't appear during episodes of Boston Legal this fall. The underlying cause for the actors being dropped appears to be the Zombie Apocalypse which began this morning, though the particular reasons each of the actors won't be on the show next season vary.

A few of my friends, in the recently created Zombie Annihilation Unit of LAPD, have confirmed that Julie Bowen has refused to leave her house until society becomes more stable. Not surprising given the close proximity her house has to several Los Angeles cemeteries. The last thing I would want experience when walking out of my house is some dessicated and rotting starlet from the Silent Era trying to eat my brains. Particularly since I couldn't be sure whether the Starlet was doing it due to "hunger" or just jealousy that I was working.

As for Mark Valley, it seems he thought that he was as tough as his counterpart on the show and tried to "help" local law enforcement "take care" of the zombie problem. Well...now he's a part of the problem. I just saw his corpse moaning on exclusive TMZ footage.

I have yet to read any news regarding Rene Auberjonois and Constance Zimmer, but I would like to express my disappointment that Constance in particular won't be back. I have a big crush on her and would be willing to watch even a zombie Constance on the show. Just imagine how much more complex her character's relationship with Clarence might be if Clarence had to deal with the constant threat of having his brains devoured by his girlfriend. Could Clavant, or Clarice for that matter, handle that? I think not.

Vecna is Doing What?!

For those who have long wondered what the Lord of Secrets has been planning, the BBC has the scoop. It appears that, having achieved the status of Lesser God, Vecna has done what any intelligent, self-serving, deity in search of new followers would do. He has become a contractor with the US Military.

That's right, Vecna, the most reviled lich in Greyhawk history, the villain whose hand and eye have been coveted by the most greedy adventurers, has designed a "Teddy Bear" looking robot to help extract wounded soldiers from dangerous battlezones.

Who knew that Vecna was making Warforged? I thought that was the purview of Merrix D'Cannith.

Is this Lesser God...

Planning on taking over the world with these?

BEAR Image Source: Vecna Technologies, Inc.
Vecna Image Source: Wizards of the Coast.
Hat Tip: Ziggurat of Doom.

Star Wars: Saga Edition RPG to Have RPGA Support

Last night on Geekerati Radio, our own Eric Lytle gave his first impressions of the Star Wars: Saga Edition RPG. He'll be giving a full review of the game next week. His first thoughts, like those of many people, were very positive. What Eric didn't get into, but what has been troubling a lot of potential Star Wars players, is the apparent lack of product support that Wizards has planned for the upcoming year. This is especially true when it comes to Gamemaster support, which is apparently completely lacking so far. Wizards has officially listed only one RPG product, other than the core rulebook, for all of 2007, which leaves the working GM worried. The vast majority of products for 2007 are all part of the very successful Star Wars miniatures line.

ICv2 announced some good news for those working GMs today. It appears that Wizards will be providing RPGA adventures for fans to use in the upcoming Dawn of Defiance campaign. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this means more products for us to use in our campaigns.

Listen to Christian and Friends at Geekerati Radio

Geekerati Radio 6/11: "The Truly Independent and the Blatantly Mass Market."

The theme of tonight's show is "What does it means to be independent?" From films to roleplaying games, the panelists will discuss the tensions between "commercial" or "sell out" entertainment and what most consider to be independent.

You can listen to the show LIVE at 7pm PST tonight at www.blogtalkradio.com/geekerati, or you can listen to our show at a later time when you can hear our after show discussion. In addition to the discussion, we will be giving away a 10 day Guest Subscription to Lord of the Rings Online and a copy of Wicked Fantasy Factory's "Rumble in the Wizard's Tower" published by Goodman Games.

Listen in, participate when we have our "Film Trivia" moments where we ask panelists, and you, to name films based on criteria provided by "Cineplexity" cards. "Cineplexity" cards are a part of the entertaining "Cineplexity" game by Out of the Box Publishing.

Our show has no affiliation with Out of the Box games, but it's a great game and I think it can use all the free advertising it can get.

Future episodes of the show will include a rundown of Zombie Armageddon entertainment, a special episode this Wednesday, and an interview with SF/Fantasy author Susan Palwick regarding her newest novel Shelter.

I am Legend Preview Now Live

In 1954, Richard Matheson's I am Legend was published. The book featured a world depopulated due to the effects of a plague which infected its victims with an illness similar to vampirism. The novel's protagonist, the world's last "pure strain" human, explored the phenomenon from a purely scientific approach. He attempted to find out why and how what happened occurred, while simultaneously hunting the "undead" during the daylight hours. What begins as a simple monster hunt ends with the protagonist discovering not all of his victims were a scourge. In fact, Neville Morgan (the protagonist) finds that he himself is viewed as a monster by many of those he hunts.

The novel explored the psychological terror of being the last person in the world and the moral consequences of an "obsolete" organism murdering the next stage of life. Like later films of "Zombiegeddon" the book contained its share of social criticism and insight into the human condition.

The book has already been made into two films. Both The Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price and Omega Man starring Charlton Heston are classic films in the apocalyptic genre. One can also see echoes of the underlying narrative in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.

This December we will see the release of a third film based upon the novel. Will Smith stars as the protagonist in the Francis Lawrence (Constantine) directed version. The trailer for the film is live. The film also stars Salli Richardson from the great new SciFi series Eureka.

Cinerati Becomes Mysterious Galaxy Books Affiliate

All book recommendations at Cinerati will now include a link to Mysterious Galaxy Books where readers can purchase the selection from one of the internet's best independent bookstores. In addition to being a great place to purchase your books, the folks at Mysterious Galaxy host some of the most interesting panels each year at San Diego's Comic Con. Each year, Mysterious Galaxy provides the opportunity for fans to meet with many of their favorite Fantasy, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, and Media Tie-in authors. Their website features a great page featuring Southern California authors, and after looking at the page you can see why they can sponsor so many excellent panels.

Mysterious Galaxy is what independent bookstores are all about.

In Preparation for the Upcoming Zombie Apocalypse

50%Mingle² - Free Online Dating

Given that there will be a Zombie Apocalypse next Wednesday, at least all signs seem to point to one occurring, I thought I might take a little quiz to see my likelihood of survival.

I guess having a coin-flip chance of making it is better than nothing. Now if only I knew which kind of Zombie Apocalypse in which I was going to find myself.

Possible Good News for Shaun Omac Radio and Jericho Fans

In news that should give hope to fan's of Shaun "Omac" Daily's "Discussing Jericho" show on BlogTalkRadio, TV Guide has leaked a rumor that Jericho is very close to being renewed for eight episodes. At this time there is no way to tell how accurate the rumor is or isn't, but for fans of Jericho this is big news indeed.

What if "Star Trek" Had Been Invented in the Silent Era?

Thanks to the good folks at SF Signal, I have discovered an interesting little gem of a YouTube film.

You can visit the host site to read the many comments this interesting film has received. I particularly liked a very recent exchange discussing the propulsion system of the Enterprise.

reallyevilcanine:
Nevertheless I find myself drawn not to the social aspects of your picture show as to the technical premises. In the views presented of the engine room it appears that the Steamcraft Enterprise is powered by a triple-expansion steam engine but surely a steam turbine would be more efficient, would it not? Perhaps there are problems when flying through the heavens which prevent the use of high rotational speeds but I should think that we shall overcome such limitations.

DSisterson : I am indebted to you for your perceptive observations sir. It is my understanding that Steamfleet Command are presently engaged in research to determine the feasibility of a turbine propulsion system. There are concerns that such a machine might propel the vessel through the ether at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, and that the crewpersons would be unable to respirate at such a velocity.

As a fan of Space 1889, I know that we must be ever concerned with the properties of etherspace.

Blogging the Pending Zombie Apocalypse

Next Wednesday, June 13th, Cinerati will be participating in "Blog Like It's the End of the World" and will blog about the Zombie Uprising which will begin on that date. Cinerati entries on that date will be written as if the Cinerati gang were experiencing an ongoing Zombie Apocalypse.

To prepare for the event, I will be reading my copies of The Zombie Survival Guideand World War Z by Max Brooks. I will also be checking out the Xombie website to catch up on what is happening.

What is a geek's life like on a Zombified Wednesday? Come check it out.

Wicked Giveaway During Next Geekerati BlogTalkRadio Show

Each week on the Geekerati BlogTalkRadio Show, we try to bring you the best radio show focused on geek interests possible. Our conversations range from a discussion of Television shows and movies to reviews of the latest Board/Card/Video/Roleplaying Games.

This coming Monday at 7pm PST, we will be discussing the ever increasingly interactive nature of entertainment. From roleplaying games (where the interaction is between friends)to Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy Gamebooks (where the interaction is with a book) to the interactivity of internetelevision. How are products like CBS's Innertube, and the recent proposed changes to that site, going to affect the way we are entertained? This is a question we will discuss at length during the upcoming episode.

We will also feature a weekly Roundup of classic films from the great guys over at The Shelf, a review of The Complete Champion by Steven Merrill, and MMORPG commentary by Wes Kobernick. Naturally, Shawna will be discussing her disappointment at the announced cancellation of Battlestar Galactica at the end of Season 4. This cancellation will have no effect on the upcoming Battlestar Galactica episode of Geekerati, set to coincide with the release of the Battlestar Galactica RPG.

Additionally, we will be reviewing and giving away a free copy of Wicked Fantasy Factory's first adventure for the d20 System, Rumble in the Wizard's Tower. You can view a 12 page preview of the product by clicking here.

At first glance the module appears to be a standard adventure for starting characters, but the motto for Wicked Fantasy Factory's new line of modules for the world's most popular fantasy roleplaying game is, "Don't just crawl through dungeons...make them sorry they every met you!" Will the adventure live up to the hype? Listen in next Monday at 7pm to hear our thoughts and have a chance to have a copy sent to you for free!