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!

Mahalo-The Human Search Engine

Today marks the begining of a new way to search the web. A new search engine debuted today at the Wall Street Journal D Conference. The engine called mahalo features results pages for the top 4,000 searches as edited and maintained by their search experts. Each results page gives you all the links that they think are the most useful without having to sift through useles links and old sites. Here is a link to their press release for Mahalo's Alpha launch.



http://www.mahalo.com/Mahalo_PR



Not a lot of the search pages are done yet but the pages I searched had all the useful links on the first page. Searches without a custom result page load with a list of mahalo results that you might be looking for and a summary google result page.



I like the idea of a human written search results page. It means that things that just contain the words from my search are left out and only pages that actually pertain to the subject I'm looking for are included.

Listen to the Latest Geekerati Radio Broadcast

Monday evenings have become an exciting time for the Cinerati crew. We now have our own online radio show hosted over at BlogTalkRadio.com. You can listen to the show live at 7pm PST and call in to chat with the Geeks, or you can listen to our archived episodes at our show's host page. From the host page you can also download our past episodes and listen to them at your convenience.

I am joined on the radio show by an interesting panel of friends who share many similar interests with me. Wes, Eric, Steven, Shawna, and I discuss everything from movies and television to video games and roleplaying games. We even sometimes make rpg references during television discussion and vice versa. We think it is a good show and would like all of you to join in the conversation.

Here are some of the topics we have covered in our prior episodes:

1. Summer Blockbusters with the Geeks: During this episode the panel discussed the, then, upcoming blockbuster season and talked about what films we planned to see and which ones we planned to avoid. It was a lively conversation and a nice premiere for the Geeks.
2. Downloading the Upfronts: The upfronts are the event where the major television networks discuss the shows they will be adding to this year's fall schedule. It is when those employed in the television industry jump for joy, sigh with relief, or cry with panic. The geeks discussed which shows they were looking forward to in the upcoming fall season, and which ones they thought wouldn't last until Halloween. Minus a couple of technical difficulties with Skype, the show was an excellent discussion. This show also featured the beginnings of a playtest of Out of the Box game's Cineplexity.
3. Cinema, Cineplexity, and TV Wars: In this show you can begin to see the development of our format. We began the show with a discussion of two of the blockbusters which have already been released in theaters, Pirates and Spider-Man. We then moved on to what will soon be a regular feature, Wes's MMORPG Moment. Wes reviewed Lord of the Rings Online and discussed a growing controversy over CCP's EVE game. If you have an opinion on the CCP controversy, you can comment on the Geekerati site. This was followed by our weekly game review where Christian Johnson gave Cineplexity a full review, listen in to see what I thought. Then Shawna and Christian discussed the summer television season when many cable networks run their big shows during the broadcast network's summer hiatus. We also had our first listener giveaway, a copy of Free Enterprise.

This next Monday the Geeks will be discussing the ever increasing interactive nature of entertainment. It is a brave new world when an audience can choose not merely how and when to watch the shows they like, but also contribute to what stories are being told in more direct ways then ever. What is the future of entertainment now that the "Choose Your Own Adventure" generation is getting more and more control of many media? Steven Merrill will also be reviewing The Complete Champion, the most recent class book for Dungeons and Dragons.

Stop by and give us a listen.

Dr. Strange Returning to the Silver Screen

You may be too young to remember Dr. Strange's first foray onto the Silver Screen, but it did leave something to be desired. It was a quintessentially 70s movie (the review at RevolutionSF concurs) and the opening of the YouTube link above makes one wonder if"Porno Chic" had more influence than the comic books on the production of this television movie.

I have always been a big Dr. Strange fan. Unlike most other Ditko creations, Strange lacked the underlying Objectivist world view. Where the worlds of Mr. A, the Question, The Avenging World, and even everyone's favorite wall-crawler were worlds of black and white morality, the world of Dr. Stephen Strange was surreal. Add to this Objectivism's rejection of any non-materialist metaphysic and Dr. Strange becomes Ditko's most inventive creation. This isn't to say that the morality of Dr. Strange isn't traditional good vs. evil, rather that Strange isn't continually punished every time he chooses his private life over justice. Take Spider-Man as a comparison. Every time Spider-Man takes any action remotely in his own self-interest, particularly in the first 38 (the Ditko) issues, he is punished horribly. Doctor Strange's origin might be rooted in the Objectivist selfishness = death/justice = life dichotomy, but once Strange becomes a hero, he isn't continually tested in the same way that Spider-Man is. Spider-Man's crises are personal, Strange's are epic. All of which makes Dr. Strange a very interesting character in print.

Last week, Lionsgate Home Entertainment and Marvel Enterprises recently announced the release of Marvel's latest direct to dvd animated feature. Doctor Strange will be available on DVD on August 14th on both a DVD and Blu-ray Disc release. This is the first time that Marvel will simultaneously release on DVD and Blu-ray format.



The film stars Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme as he uses his powers to face the terrifying entity threatening humanity. You can watch a short trailer promoting the release at the website linked above. I have to say that the animated movie looks to be about the same quality as the earlier Ultimate Avengers movies, which were both around 3 out of 5 stars. My only concern is that they have Dr. Strange using a sword in the trailer. Dr. Strange in a sword duel? I dunno. I prefer the Dr. Strange levitating crosslegged in a MAGICAL DUEL. That said, I am looking forward to the release, and the cover art by Steven McNiven (Civil War) is a very good interpretation of one of my favorite comic characters.

Descriptions from the press release are below:

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION This August, delve deep into a world of fantasy and magic, filled with mystical creatures and perils beyond human awareness as Marvel Enterprises (NYSE: MVL) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) release to DVD Doctor Strange, the latest title in the incredibly popular Marvel Animated Features DVD series. The fourth release of a multi-picture direct-to-DVD deal signed by the two companies, Doctor Strange marks the DVD franchise's first-ever day and date DVD and Blu-ray Disc release, and it stars Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme as he uses his powers to face the terrifying entity threatening humanity. With CGI animation and a storyline that stays true to its comic roots – a constant theme across all Marvel Animated Features – the Doctor Strange DVD and Blu-ray disc features a First Look at the Avengers Reborn feature, concept art, the "Who is Doctor Strange?" featurette"and the Best of Marvel Game Cinematics, as well as other engaging bonus features to satiate any comic fan . Doctor Strange will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on August 14, 2007 for the suggested retail prices of $19.98 and $29.99, respectively.



SYNOPSIS

Peel back the layers of reality, and behold a stunning realm hidden beneath. One of magic and wonder. Of sorcery and enchantment. Of ancient spells, secret doors, and remarkable heroes who protect us from evil. Because this is also a world of dark mysticism, malevolent forces, and unspeakable horrors. And within the shadows around us, a supernatural war is waged. But the balance is shifting. Darkness is winning. Yet there is hope….



Join us as Dr. Stephen Strange embarks on a wondrous journey to the heights of a Tibetan mountain, where he seeks healing at the feet of the mysterious Ancient One. But before his wounds can mend, Strange must first let go of his painful past, and awaken a gift granted to very few. The gift of magic. Empowered as the new Sorcerer Supreme, Dr. Strange now tests his limits, rising up against monsters that push at the gates, facing the most terrifying entity humankind has ever known.



DVD SPECIAL FEATURES*:

• Best of Marvel Video Game Cinematics

• "Who is Doctor Strange?" featurette

• Doctor Strange Concept Art

• First Look at Avengers Reborn feature

• Trailer Gallery

*DVD Special Features subject to change

Acclaimed Fantasy and Adventure Author Now Exploring the Undiscovered Country

May 17th, at his home in Drexel, PA, Lloyd Alexander died. And while the New York Times and The Washington Post provided serviceable obituaries, a part of my soul wishes that the news made the society a little more filled with sorrow than it seems to have done. To be honest, the Washington Post article seems a little labored and clumsily written, magnifying my desire for a larger communal acknowledgement of grief. One imagines how sad the children of England and America would be if J.K. Rowling were to die years from now. I imagine that there would be many who would write eloquently regarding how the adventures of Harry Potter were the first forays into a life of literary exploration. That is what Lloyd Alexander was for me.

Alexander was my first encounter with written Fantasy as a genre of fiction. My first reading obsession was the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing series by Judy Blume (but that is another topic). My fourth grade teacher noticed that I was reading Edith Hamilton's Mythology and recommended that I read the "Chronicles of Prydain" series. I did. I loved them. They were rooted in a mythic system, heavily influenced by the Mabinogion and Sir James George Frazer, that I had yet to encounter. At the time, I was very familiar with Greek mythology and was already a firmly committed "Sword and Sandals" fan, but I knew little of Hern the Hunter. So the adventures of an assistant pig keeper named Taran were the perfect introduction to Fantasy and set a firm foundation which helped me to understand the "deeper" and more difficult prose of T.H. White. If not for Taran, I never would have gotten to know Wart. I would also never have ventured into Narnia. The Prydain books and the Narnia books shared the same publisher.

In 1985, at a mature 14, I went to the theater to watch a film adaptation which combined elements of the first two Prydain books. The Black Cauldron was a disappointment. I liked the representation of Gurgi, who is very Pooka-esque in the film, though it was very different from the representation in the books. In fact, there was a lot different between the two. To the point that the movie seemed to be afraid to deal with the "darker" aspect of the narrative. One would expect that a film featuring the art of Tim Burton and Mike Ploog might be a little on the dark side, but the film's (and the story's), darker moments are much brighter in the film. Even with the changes, I still enjoyed the film. I still do. I just wish they had let Burton and Ploog go a little wild and had kept the directors originally slated to direct the film, John Musker and Ron Clements. Instead, Musker and Clements went on to direct The Great Mouse Detective, one of my all time favorite Disney films (not to mention The Little Mermaid and Aladdin).

I can understand those who don't have the same warm place in their hearts for Prydain that I do. When one has read a larger amount of Fantasy, the stories can appear less inventive than they did to me at the time. On of the most famous, in Fantasy circles, of Alexander's critics is Michael Moorcock. Moorcock wrote in his seminal Wizardry and Wild Romance (As an aside, Moorcock also complains of the use of Hern the Hunter as an overused legacy from Frazer. I don't know about you, but I don't know many fourth graders who have an intimate knowledge of The Golden Bough, though you should have at least passing knowledge of it by the time you read the Pratt/de Camp stories.) :

Lloyd Alexander is another American writer who has had considerable success in his books set in an invented and decidedly Celtic fantasy world, but for my taste he never quite succeeds in matching the three I have mentioned [ed. note: Ursula K Le Guin, Gillian Bradshaw, and Susan Cooper]. He uses more clichés and writes a trifle flaccidly:

The Horned King stood motionless, his arm upraised. Lightning played about his sword. The giant flamed like a burning tree. The stag horns turned to crimson streaks, the skull mask ran like molten iron. A roar of pain and rage rose from the Antlered King's throat.
With a cry, Taran flung an arm across his face. The ground rumbled and seemed to open beneath him. Then there was nothing.
The Book of Three 1964

I don't know about you, but that read pretty interestingly to me. Especially considering that this is an encounter that Taran has while searching for his lost pig. This is an epic encounter occurring on what, at first, appeared to be a very mundane task. That is what I liked about Alexander. His epic adventure begins with a seemingly mundane, and yes very stalwartly middle-class, activity. Moorcock doesn't like stories rooted in bourgeois morality, and that is his right, he finds such stories staid. But I found the prospect of a chore leading to great adventure, one where the struggle between good and evil is clear rather than shaded, great fun at my young age. I still find it fun. I think I'll curl up tonight and revisit the reason I have read so much.

Second BlogTalkRadio Show Completed With Only Minor Technical Difficulties

Last night, Wes Kobernick, Eric Lytle, Steven Merrill, and I hosted our second online BlogTalkRadio show. The episode, "Downloading the Upfronts," covered last week's network upfronts and discussed what shows we can all look forward to next fall. Our guest speaker for the show, who we hope will become a regular, was the very knowledgeable Shawna Benson of the Shouting into the Wind blog.

Shawna guided us through the 3 major network's proposed schedules in a presentation filled with good information and entertaining opinion. In fact, the conversation was so much fun that we didn't cover Fox or the CW's schedule until the "after show" which you can only hear on the show's host page. Stop by the page, have a listen to the 70 minute show, and let us know what you think.

Other than a couple of technical difficulties, primarily in the 16th minute when we were discussing the upcoming "Bionic Woman" show, the show went smoothly.

In upcoming weeks we hope to have Luke Y. Thompson, of the OC Weekly, discuss genre films and his thoughts on the summer season so far. We also hope to have Shawna return many more times to talk about her thoughts on the summer hiatus television season (which includes shows like "The Closer," "Monk," and "Psych", and on the upcoming fall season as more information comes available. Heck, I'd even give her a half an hour (without me butting in) to talk about Battlestar Galactica the television series.

That gives me an idea for an upcoming episode based entirely around BSG. Shawna could cover the show, and I could cover the upcoming Roleplaying game by Margaret Weis Productions (the manufacturers of the Serenity rpg).

Ten Years! Ten Years Man! Happy Anniversary Jody!

Ten years ago today Jody Lindke and I were married in a lovely ceremony which was followed by an equally lovely, but totally breakneck, honeymoon. Since we were friends for a couple of years before we actually started "dating," it has been a swift decade filled with adventure.

What about that breakneck honeymoon? What do you mean breakneck?

Okay, okay, I'll tell you. Those who read last year's entry can skip below the blockquote if they have a very good memory.

Jody and I planned our wedding for a year, honeymoon and all. We were to get married at Arlington Gardens, Arlington Gardens Country Garden catered the wedding, a local nursery/small shop area that has a beautiful central area. Our cake was from Josef's conditerei and our honeymoon was going to be at Disneyworld.

But then Jody decided, rightly so, that she wanted to bring her childhood pet into our household. Our apartment let us have cats, but Oreo was a lovely 14 year old and 10 pound dog. Jody missed Oreo, who had lived in Nevada City with Jody's father, and Oreo missed Jody. Oreo was a wonderful addition to our lives, she was love personified, so finding a new place to live was not a burden. It did mean finding a place that allowed dogs and in a short timeline. We found a place and the necessary number of roommates (some friends), but given the short notice our friends couldn't pay the deposit up front. They were able to pay it rapidly after moving in, but not the day (May 1) that we were moving into the new place. This meant Jody and I had to put down the deposit, and this meant no Disneyworld. We still have yet to go to Disneyworld, but that is another story and the perfect gift for a future anniversary.

Having no place to go for our honeymoon turned out to be more of a blessing that a curse. Unbeknownst to us Jody's mother and step-father had arranged for us to spend a few days in the Napa Valley and at Fort Bragg. Both places that have significant emotional importance for Jody. It was a lovely gift. Fort Bragg, BTW, is where they filmed both Overboard (with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn) and Kindergarten Cop (with der Governator), and a lovely Northern California Costal community. The only drawback was that the arrangements Jody's mom made started on Sunday and we were married on a Saturday. What to do, what to do?

Jody immediately booked us a room at a Hotel Casino up at Lake Tahoe (not the view from our hotel room). We had a wonderful night, watched a magic show, had an exquisite meal and prepared for Napa and Fort Bragg. Family members had also given us spending money for our honeymoon, in addition to the money they gave us for our Wedding. So we planned additional days away, in fact we decided to continue our journey up the coast and to finish our honeymoon in Seattle at the Seattle International Film festival. We drove the north along the California coast and continued to Washington and Seattle. It was a wonderful, and long, drive through redwood forests.

Of course, Jody and I, being who we are we watched a ton of movies along the way in preparation for the festival. We also watched Twister and inordinate number of times. We were gone for about two weeks in total and when we were done we had not a dime to our name (we still had Wedding checks for beginning our lives, but none of those were in the bank) and prayed that the gas in the car would get us back to Reno safely. It took us many days to drive to Seattle as we meandered along seaside roads, but we made it home in a single day. Along the way we learned some interesting facts of life.

1. The rain in Washington is very hard to drive in.
2. There are apparently no 7-11s in Oregon. A lot of convenience stores, but no 7-11s. We looked frantically, longing for Slurpees, but to no avail. We might have missed them, but it was eerie.
3. You cannot pump your own gas in Oregon.
4. Twister is a great road trip movie and pretending that you are in the film while driving on the highway is fun.
5. Jody didn't really want to go to Law School, rather she wanted to make movies.
6. Jody has the uncanny ability to make me smile, inside and out. She still does.
7. Oregon rest stops serve free coffee.
8. Most importantly, you can make a wonderfully romantic honeymoon from scratch and a spontaneous honeymoon is far more romantic, in my experience, that a prepackaged vacation.

The ten year anniversary is, traditionally, the "tin or aluminum" anniversary so Jody and I got each other gifts with some tin or aluminum. I got her mugs, a framed ceramic tile, and an aluminum sign featuring the artwork she drew for our card last year.

She got me a framed (in aluminum) Twister poster. It is the most romantic thing I have ever received. If you are wondering why, it might illuminate things if I mention that we watched Twister almost everyday during our honeymoon. Looking at the poster was like reliving the entire honeymoon. Tonight, as we do every anniversary, we will watch the Bill Paxton vehicle while cuddling on the couch.

Our kids, when we have them, will wonder what our attraction to the film is, but we will be mentally back in Seattle on our honeymoon.

ABC Schedule and thoughts

Earlier this week ABC announced their upcoming fall lineup, but I was too busy to make my comments regarding the upcoming schedule. Now...at last, my time has come.

Continuing the trend of other networks, the majority of ABC's new orders are for Dramas (7), with a few Comedies (4) added for good measure. The current era of television seems to be as dominated by the Drama and Dramedy as the 90s were with the half-hour comedy. Which is one way of saying that TV networks will go with a good thing until they beat it to death and then they'll see if they can kick a couple of death throes out of it. Only then, will they move on to the next best thing. A less cynical way of saying that might be that networks go with what works.

The new television series include everything from modern man to cavemen. Yes you read that right, ABC is premiering a series based on the Geico commercials. Some of these series are: “Big Shots,” “Carpoolers,” “Cashmere Mafia,” “Cavemen,”
“Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Miss/Guided,” “Private Practice,”
“Pushing Daisies,” “Sam I Am” and “Women’s Murder Club.”

The proposed fall lineup, and my comments are below (with the new shows in italics):

MONDAY:
8:00 p.m.: “Dancing with the Stars” -- I only watch this show in spurts. I understand the appeal, heck I used to love "Circus of the Stars," but like "Circus" this is more of a one time thing for me than a weekly commitment.

9:30 p.m.: “Sam I Am” (new comedy series) -- This is Christina Applegate's new series about a person who has an accident and forgets who they are, only to discover they weren't very likable. The show's tension will rest on a "nature vs. nurture" irony, she wants to be good but isn't. (deadpan)I am laughing already. This is such a funny idea. No one ever though of a bad person trying to be good, but can't actually succeed at being good story before.(end deadpan) I will watch the show once, but I won't be very forgiving.

“Sam I Am”
When a terrible accident leaves Samantha “Sam” Newly in a coma for eight days, she wakes up with no recollection of any past experiences, memories or events. Faced with amnesia, Sam must start over. To her dismay she discovers that she wasn’t a particularly honest, good-hearted or loving person. In fact she was self-involved, narcissistic and devoid of real relationships - essentially a bitch. Sam must now struggle with her desire to be good and her temptation to be...not so good. Finding the line between good and evil is never easy.

10:00 p.m.: “The Bachelor” -- The fact that people watch this show makes me worry for the state of our civilization. "Look ma! It's women being treated like cattle by a man who they all plot in Machiavellian fashion to seduce."

TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Cavemen” The commercials are funny, but somehow I think that placing this show in the suburban South will spell quick doom for this show. That and the fact that the dinosaur version of the "Honeymooners" didn't last too long either.

“Cavemen”
Cavemen is a unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on their head. Inspired by the popular Geico Insurance commercials, the series looks at life through the eyes of the ultimate outsiders - three modern cavemen - as they struggle to find their place in the world. Joel, his cynical best friend, Nick, and easy-going little brother, Jamie, are contemporary cavemen who live in the suburban south and simply want to be treated like ordinary thirty-something guys. Despite their attempts at assimilation, Nick doesn’t believe mainstream society will ever completely accept them, Jamie seems to take it all in stride and Joel straddles the middle, torn between his friends, his more traditional values and his loving fiancée.

8:30 p.m. “Carpoolers” -- Hopefully this show will have moments that take place outside of the car. Though that makes me wonder how that would be different from an Office Space show. I'll watch it once, but if they don't get out of the car I won't be back. I want you to remember that this show is about 4 people. That seems to be a theme.

“Carpoolers”
Less about saving the environment than male bonding, four guys from very different backgrounds relish their daily commute as they commiserate about their lives, jobs and families in the carpool lane. There’s Laird, the recently divorced playboy; Aubrey, the timid homemaker and breadwinner; the conservative and traditional Gracen; and eager newlywed Dougie. Together, between the pressures of home and work, these men find time to be themselves while driving to and from the office.

9:00 p.m. : “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show” -- See above.

10:00 p.m.: “Boston Legal” -- Glad to see the show back for another season. Shatner!

WEDNESDAY: A night completely filled with new shows? That is a potential risk.

8:00 p.m. “Pushing Daisies” -- I am intrigued by this twist on a procedural and the romantic tension possible has potential. Ideal scenario for me as viewer is if this show is a well thought out single season narrative with a final episode that resolves the season long arc.

“Pushing Daisies”
From Bryan Fuller (“Heroes”) and Barry Sonnenfeld (“Men in Black”) comes an unprecedented blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy in a forensic fairytale about a young man with a very special gift. Once upon a time, a mild-mannered boy named Ned realized he could touch dead things and bring them back to life. Grown-up Ned puts his ability to good use, not only touching dead fruit and making it ripe with everlasting flavor, but working with an investigator to crack murder cases by asking the deceased to name their killers. But the tale gets complicated, as all tales do, when Ned brings his childhood sweetheart, Chuck, back from the dead and keeps her alive. Chuck encourages him to use his power to help others, instead of merely solving mysteries and collecting the rewards. Life would be perfect for Ned and Chuck, except for one cruel twist: If he ever touches her again, she’ll go back to being dead, this time for good.

9:00 p.m.: “Private Practice” -- "Grey's Anatomy 2?" No thanks. I stopped watching "Grey's Anatomy" when they killed the dog just to end a romantic storyline. I still like Kate Walsh, but I won't watch this show. The best "Grey's Anatomy" moment, in my opinion, was during the last season of "The OC" when Summer's father moved to Seattle.

“Private Practice”
From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe-winning creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” comes a story about new beginnings and old friends. Addison Forbes Montgomery is a renowned neonatal surgeon, respected by her friends and colleagues at Seattle Grace Hospital. Deciding she can no longer healthily co-exist with her ex-husband, McDreamy, and her ex-lover, McSteamy, Addison heads to Los Angeles for sunnier weather and happier possibilities. Reunited with her once-married, newly divorced medical school friends, Naomi and Sam, Addison joins their chic private practice. Featuring an all-star cast including Kate Walsh, Amy Brenneman, Tim Daly and Taye Diggs, “Private Practice” tells the story of a woman unafraid of change and willing to begin a new life.

10:00 p.m. “Dirty Sexy Money” -- I think it is good to see the return of the evening Soap, but this just doesn't seem to do it for me. Besides wasn't the "I'll have access to a lot of money to do good things" tension a part of 2 Week's Notice? (Minus the Soapy mysterious death etc.) This show would have to be funny to attract me. And the "Darling" clan? Please, shoot me now.

“Dirty Sexy Money”
Some people say money is the root of all evil. They may be right. Nick George’s whole life has been lived in the shadow of the Darling family, but as an adult he’s leading the perfect life as an idealistic lawyer, until his father’s suspicious death. The absurdly wealthy Darlings of New York have asked him to take over his father’s job as their personal lawyer, but the money that will allow him the freedom to be an altruistic do-gooder is only part of the picture. That same money pulls him into the dubious doings of the Darling clan. Power, privilege and family money are a volatile cocktail.

THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m.: “Ugly Betty” -- One of my favorite shows, but I hope they do like a real telenovella and let the story end at some point.

9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy” -- As I said, I stopped watching it when they killed the dog just to eliminate a romantic rivalry.

10:00 p.m. “Big Shots” -- It's "Carpoolers," but serious. By the way, what is up with the whole "4 friends" thing? Can't we have three friends? Or even five friends?

“Big Shots”
This is the story of four friends at the top of their game...until the women in their lives enter the room. Lines between boardroom and bedroom blur when these competitive but dysfunctional CEOs take refuge in their friendship, discussing business, confiding secrets, seeking advice and supporting each other through life’s surprising twists and turns.

FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m.: “MEN IN TREES” -- Don't watch it, so I have no opinion one way or the other.

9:00 p.m.: “Women’s Murder Club” -- "CSI: Vigilante" with a dash of possible romantic subplots? Okay, I'm down for that. But what is with the whole 4 friends thing again?

“Women’s Murder Club”
Based on James Patterson’s bestselling novels, The Women’s Murder Club, four working women in San Francisco - a detective, a district attorney, a medical examiner and a reporter - use their expertise and unique talents to solve murder cases. Each woman is successful in her own field, but because of their unique friendship, they realize that pooling their resources during investigations leads to undiscovered clues and answers in both work and their personal lives.

10:00 p.m.: “20/20” -- For those who have no internet or are baffled by the "tubes" that make the interwebs work.

SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m.: “Saturday Night College Football” -- Depends on who's playing.

SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m.: “America’s Funniest Home Videos” -- Watch Jimmy hit someone in the crotch! No. Don't watch this. Won't watch this.

8:00 p.m.: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” -- I watched one season of this show. I like the premise, but don't watch it.

9:00 p.m.: “Desperate Housewives” -- I don't watch this, but I have nothing against it. I have to read books some time.

10:00 p.m.: “Brothers & Sisters” -- Sunday at 10? I might be watching "Lipstick Jungle" on NBC. I might not.


The remaining shows will be mid-season pick ups after “Dancing with the Stars” and “The Bachelor” conclude their fall seasons. I will probably watch both "Cashmere Mafia" and "Miss/Guided" at least once.

Chat with Christian and Some of the Cinerati Gang at Geekerati Radio

WHAT: Geekerati Radio discusses the Summer Blockbuster Lineup
WHERE: BlogTalkRadio
WHEN: 10PM PST May 14, 2007
WHO: Christian Johnson and Friends
WHY: Because you like us.



Hello Everyone. Tonight is the first of what I hope will become a weekly tradition. I will be hosting an online "radio show" on blogtalkradio where friends of mine and I will discuss various geek topics. The list of topics includes, but is not limited to, Movies, Video Games, Television, Comic Books, Baseball, SF/Fantasy, and Roleplaying/Board Games.

In future weeks, I hope to expand the number of contributors to include David and Julie Scott and Luke Y. Thompson. I would have invited them for the pilot episode, but this was a split second decision.

There are a lot of topics to cover, so we will try to address them one at a time. Tonight at 10PM PST my friends and I will be discussing the Summer Blockbuster season, both what has already been released (specifically Spider-Man 3) and what is yet to come.

Come and join us at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hostpage.aspx?host_id=4843 tonight at 10PM PST.

If you want to call in and tell us we're crazy, you can call us at (646) 478-5041.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Your Way to Fame and Fortune

This last weekend in Las Vegas, 300 finalists met to do "Rock, Paper, Scissors" battle in the hopes of walking away with $50,000. May 11 - 13th marked the 2nd annual USARPS Tournament Finals in Las Vegas.

Image from USARPS.com

The league was founded 16 months ago by Matti Leshem, a 44-year-old Hollywood producer, if you consider the Executive Producer on "Pepsi: Play for a Billion" and Paula Abdul: Cardio Cheer a Hollywood producer. Though if you want to challenge Matti to a private match, it's a minimum of $100 a round. People who keep track of these things know that Phil Gordon, who is a USARPS member, hosts the World Series of Rock-Paper-Scissors each year at the World Series of Poker.

As of this writing, the results of the 2007 USARPS Tournament have not been released. Much like the World Series of Poker, any official word will have to wait until after this summer's broadcast on ESPN. Let's hope it is as exciting as last year's titanic bout where Dave "The Drill" McGill defeated his opponent in dominant fashion. (You can watch the bout at the USARPS website on the bottom of the page.)

Who knew when Bud Light ran the RPS commercial during the Super Bowl they were advertising an event they actually sponsor. Unlike in the commercial, "The Drill" won his $50,000 with a triple-paper call.



You might be able to get the results early if you subscribe to Obscure Sports Quarterly or watch ESPN 8 "The Ocho," but there isn't much chance of that.

NBC Announces Fall Line-Up

NBC's Upfronts may be at 3pm EST today, but that didn't stop Variety (among others) from reporting NBC's upcoming fall schedule. Though I was sad to see that Raines wasn't among the listed shows (I didn't really expect it to be), the list looks pretty interesting. Below is the line-up with my thoughts (new shows in italics):


MONDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal" -- I know that this show gets good number, but I just don't get it. All I can do as I watch this show is chant "Choose Wisely" like the knight in Indiana Jones 3. I just can't take seriously a show that adds dramatic tension to a hidden information game where the contestants seem to be selected based on their ignorance of probability.

9-10 p.m.: "Heroes" -- This was one of my favorite new shows this year and I am glad to see it has been renewed for the fall. I also can't wait for the "fill in" show "Heroes: Origins" which will be running this while the main show is on hiatus.

10-11 p.m.: "Journeyman" --Based on the description (below) this is a combination of "Quantum Leap" and "The Unit." Not only do we get the "Sam travels through time fixing stuff" narrative, but we also get the "what's happening in his home life" as well. It sounds like an interesting enough combination for me to watch a re-envisioning of an idea I enjoyed before. The added element of the protagonist having to deal with his home life does intrigue me, so I'll be either staying up or Tivo-ing this show.

"Journeyman"-- From Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Kevin Falls ("The West Wing") and Emmy Award-winning director-producer Alex Graves ("The West Wing"), "Journeyman" is a romantic mystery-drama about Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd, "Rome"), a San Francisco newspaper reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change people's lives. Along the way, he also must deal with the difficulties and strife at work and home brought on by his sudden disappearances. However, his freewheeling travels through the decades reunite him with his long-lost fiance Livia (Moon Bloodgood, "Day Break") -- which complicates his present-day life with wife Katie (Gretchen Egolf, "Martial Law") and their son. Reed Diamond ("Homicide: Life on the Street") and Charles Henry Wyson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") also star. "Journeyman" is a production of 20th Century Fox Television. Falls is executive producer and writer; Graves is executive producer and director of the pilot.

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m.: "The Biggest Loser" -- Ah, lame reality programming, renewed. I'll pass.

9-10 p.m.: "Chuck" -- A new show from Josh "pop culture" Schwartz and Mc"king of high concept"G, that seems to be an interesting combination of "Jake 2.0," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and The Computer Wore Red Tennis Shoes. Based on the creative crew, "The OC" and "Supernatural" are two of my favorite shows, alone I was sold. Add a semi-SF/espionage back story and Adam Baldwin from "Firefly" and I'll give the show 8-10 episodes to prove itself to me.

From executive producer, Josh Schwartz ("The O.C.") and executive producer-director McG ("Charlie's Angels," "We Are Marshall") comes a one-hour, comedic spy thriller about Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, "Less Than Perfect") - a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent. When Chuck opens an e-mail subliminally encoded with government secrets, he unwittingly downloads an entire server of sensitive data into his brain. Now, the fate of the world lies in the unlikely hands of a guy who works at Buy More. Instead of fighting computer viruses, he must fight assassins and international terrorists. With the government's most precious secrets in Chuck's head, Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin, "My Bodyguard") of the NSA assumes the responsibility of protecting him. His partner is the CIA's top agent (and Chuck's first date in years) Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strzechowski, "Gone"). They'll keep him safe by trading in his pocket protector for a bulletproof vest. Also starring are Joshua Gomez ("Without a Trace") as Chuck's best buddy Morgan and Sarah Lancaster ("What About Brian?") as Chuck's ever-supportive sister Ellie. Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak wrote "Chuck," which is produced by College Hill Pictures and Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television.

10-11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" -- Don't watch it. Not because it's bad or anything, just not enough time in the day.

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal" -- Two days a week of bad decision making? No thanks.

9-10 p.m.: "Bionic Woman" -- My demands of remakes of my favorite childhood shows are very high. Given that this has "Battlestar Galactica" connections, I expect to be disappointed.

10-11 p.m. "Life" -- "A cop given a second chance after serving time for a crime he didn't commit?" Like the old Life cereal commercial, I'll be like Mikey. I'll try it out, but I don't expect to like it. Who knows...It might be good. It might be terrible. I'll find out what I think.

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m.: "My Name Is Earl" -- I don't watch it, but Fritz thinks it's very funny.

8:30-9 p.m.: "30 Rock" -- I don't watch it, but it looks very funny.

9-9:30 p.m.: "The Office" -- One of my favorite shows.

9:30-10 p.m.: "Scrubs" -- Just when you think ratings are the only consideration when renewing shows, they renew "Scrubs." Not that I'm complaining, I really like this show. I'm just saying. It's not every show that looses 2.1 million viewers from the previous hour that gets renewed. (On May 3, "The Office" had 7 million viewers, "Scrubs" had 4.9).

10-11 p.m.: "ER" -- This show will be on in twenty years. I stopped watching it when they dropped a helicopter on one of my favorite characters. That was a year or so after they had a helicopter cut the same character's arm off. It was just too much for me.

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m.: "1 vs 100"/"The Singing Bee" -- Could we get a new host for "1 vs 100"? I like the concept, but Bob Saget? As for "The Singing Bee," I might just watch this to see how many interpretations of "Blinded by the Light" I can hear.

9-10 p.m.: "Las Vegas" -- Until a show demonstrates just how dull and mechanical the behind the scenes of a casino is, I will be disappointed. As someone who was a 21/Craps dealer for a couple of years, I can't watch the "Casinos are so exciting" narratives. Puhleese. It's all about old ladies loosing their Social Security money in the hopes that the few moments of "friendship" they receive from casino staff can substitute for family who doesn't visit or call. Casinos are dull, depressing, and filled with the desperate.

10-11 p.m.: "Friday Night Lights" -- It makes more sense to me that this show be broadcast on Fridays. Well...except for the fact that a good part of their target audience are out watching the games that this show fictionalizes! Hello?

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Dateline NBC" -- Um...there's still cable news and the internet right? Pass.

9-11 p.m.: Drama Series Encores -- Space for "Raines" here if they give it a shot again. I'll go light a candle.

SUNDAY (Fall 2007)
7-8 p.m.: "Football Night in America" -- I'm a baseball and college football guy myself, but I'll probably watch this semi-regularly.

8-11 p.m.: "NBC Sunday Night Football" -- Ditto.

SUNDAY (January 2008)
7-8 p.m.: "Dateline NBC" -- The internet still here at this point of the post? Same answer.

8-9 p.m.: "Law & Order" -- Long after our society crumbles, the Eloi will still be watching this show.

9-10 p.m.: "Medium" -- Sorry, I read James Randi's website during this hour.

10-11 p.m. "Lipstick Jungle" -- Maybe, maybe not. If it is just another show about catty women sleeping around in the workplace, no. If it is a show about the genuine obstacles women face in the entertainment industry, yes. As someone with friends, and family, who hope to be in the basic circumstances of some of the characters in this show, I'm intrigued. But I still don't trust it. The fact that the show stars Brooke "nothing gets between me and my Calvin Kleins" Shields leads me to believe that the show will likely be the first. Based on the description though, I am ordering the novel today.

Based on the best-selling novel by Candace Bushnell ("Sex and the City"), this fun dramedy follows three high-powered friends as they weather the ups and downs of lives lived at the top of their game. Nico (Kim Raver, "24"), editor-in-chief of a hot fashion magazine, wants to replace her boss as CEO. Movie exec Wendy (Brooke Shields, "Suddenly Susan") finds even her most earnest efforts may not be enough to balance career and family. And free-spirited designer Victory (Lindsay Price, "Beverly Hills, 90210") longs to make her dreams come true, and maybe find Mr. Right along the way. Armed with humor and strength, these three modern New York women support one another through the triumphs and tears that are all part of making it big in the Big Apple. Written by executive producers DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler (both for "How I Met Your Mother," "Three Sisters") and based on the book by Bushnell, "Lipstick Jungle" is from NBC Universal Television Studio. The pilot is directed by Gary Winick ("13 Going on 30").

While in Paris Hilton is my favorite hotel chain.

In his Regarding Media column in the L.A. Times on Sunday, Tim Rutten raises a number of interesting questions regarding the proper role of the media when it comes to reporting the misbehavior of celebrities. After reading books like Anger's Hollywood Babylon, I wonder if Rutten’s doom and gloom is misplaced, but I get some of his point. There are interesting legal and philosophical concerns about a judge “making an example” out a defendant not based on the seriousness of her crime, but because she is infamous enough that other people will notice her fate. I’m going to ignore all of that to concentrate on one rather minor paragraph. Rutten writes,

If you inserted Paris Hilton's name into your grocery list and posted it on the web, you'd get tens of thousands of hits. They don't mean anything, but that hasn't stopped desperate news editors from grabbing onto what they mistake for useful information the way a drowning man or woman clutches at anything that might keep them afloat.

Now, obviously, Rutten was exaggerating; there is no way that Cinerati, by posting the name Paris Hilton repeatedly in an otherwise unrelated story, would generate tens of thousands of hits in extra traffic. I think that Rutten’s point is that Paris Hilton, or Lindsay Lohan, or Britney Spears, are known brands, which, by themselves, empty of all other content, generate interest and, thus, readership. The question remains, however, how much traffic would we generate if we repeated the words Paris Hilton over and over again? Will we see an appreciable spike in readership?

So, watch this space for updates. We’ll try to keep you apprised so that if it does in fact work you too can drive traffic to your site by incorporating the words Paris and Hilton in your posts.

Great Art Attracts at Any Wage

Ewan McGregor is returning to the stage at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Unlike his high paying film gigs though, this time McGregor will be making the Equity minimum wage (according to The Press Association). McGregor will be playing Iago in a production of Othello set to open in December.

It is no mystery to me why a highly paid actor would want to take this role instead of (or in addition to) another higher paying gig. McGregor will be playing on of Shakespeare's most famous villains and one of literature's most interesting characters. As a reader, I want to read wonderful things, and actors want to act in wonderful things. If you can afford to, which McGregor certainly can, then you do it at any price.

Though I am still waiting for the version of Othello where Iago is represented as a projection from Othello's own psyche, but that will have to wait. As it is, I wish I were going to be in London this Winter to watch one of my favorite actors.