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Subject: CYBERSPACE VANGUARD -- VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2
Date: 4 Feb 1993 14:21:46 GMT
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CYBERSPACE VANGUARD: News and Views of the Science Fiction
Universe
Volume 1, Issue 2
February 3, 1992
TJ Goldstein, Editor Sarah Alexander, Administrator
WELL WE MADE IT THROUGH TO A SECOND ISSUE! All the work
was worth it though. Looking at addresses of response cards,
we have discovered that CYBERSPACE VANGUARD reaches at least
four continents: North America, Europe, Australia, and
Africa. Represented countries are: United States, Canada,
United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden, Australia, South Africa, and
the Netherlands. There are probably more, but we can't tell
from the address. If you're reading this in any other country
or continent, please let us know.
SO WHAT IS THIS THING? It's an electronic magazine of
news, articles, and interviews from the universe of science
fiction and fantasy. (We're pretty liberal there, taking in
animation, comics, medieval fantasy, a little adventure here
and there ...)
WHAT ABOUT REPOSTING? CV is registered with the United
States Copyright Office, but permission is granted to repost
it to other electronic services and BBS's IN IT'S ENTIRETY.
(That means, among other things, that this notice must be
intact.) All we ask is that you tell us where and
approximately how many people will see it so that we can
estimate our circulation.
TO REPOST INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES: Since all rights revert
to the author upon publication, you MUST contact us prior to
lifting an article for reposting, or for a newsletter. (BTW:
Anything that doesn't have a byline was written by me
personally, and I've put too much work into it to take this
lightly. I usually don't ask for a fee, but GET PERMISSION!)
AND SPEAKING OF WRITERS, we need some. Writers
guidelines can be obtained from:
cn577@Cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Internet)
Cyberspace Vanguard@1:157/564 (Fidonet)
Cyberspace Vanguard@40:204/564 (Amiganet)
If you are not on any of these mail systems, or if you
just prefer to communicate on paper, write to the following
address (and don't forget a SASE):
Cyberspace Vanguard
PO Box 25704
Garfield Hts, OH 44125
USA
[Note: Mr. Hillman, they're on the way.]
NOW THAT THAT'S SETTLED ... What's in this issue? Oh,
lots of things. Aside from the news, we've got interviews
with LEVAR BURTON of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION; COLM
MEANEY of STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE; KATHERINE KURTZ, author
of the DERYNI books; MIKE CARLIN, editor of SUPERMAN; and BJO
TRIMBLE, matriarch of STAR TREK fandom and now chief flag
waver for the SPACE, FANTASY & ADVENTURE NETWORK, plus Rick's
review, the first of a series of articles on anime, and some
comments on stereotypes in written science fiction.
So let's get on with it!
------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
--!1!-- LeVar Burton in Firestorm: 72 hours in Oakland
--!2!-- An interview with Katherine Kurtz
--!3!-- Mike Carlin discusses why he killed Superman
--!4!-- Overused Characters in Written Science Fiction
--!5!-- Colm Meaney takes the plunge
--!6!-- Anime 101
--!7!-- Bjo Trimble's new cause
--!8!-- All the news that's fit to transmit
--!9!-- Spoilers Ahoy!!!
--!10!-- Administrivia
-----------------------------------------------------------
--!1!--
FINDING A PLACE IN HISTORY: LeVar Burton Talks About the
Responsibility of Television and Why He's Glad to Act With His
Eyes Again
LeVar Burton is excited about his role in the upcoming
docu-drama FIRESTORM: 72 HOURS IN OAKLAND, about the Oakland
fire that claimed 25 lives and 1.5 billion dollars in property
in 72 hours. "It's the first time in five and half years that
I've gotten to act with my eyes," he told CV in a phone
interview. (It's a phrase you'll likely hear a lot of.) "It
was a great pleasure, a great joy."
Mr. Burton, who plays Geordi LaForge on STAR TREK: THE
NEXT GENERATION (ST:TNG), portrays P. Lamont Ewell, Oakland's
Fire Chief, who had just moved in to Oakland 18 days before
the fire began. [Note: The press material calls the Fire
Chief J. Allan Mather.] "The Chief's story was interesting to
me because he had only just moved to Oakland. He had only
arrived three weeks before the outbreak of the firestorm." A
firestorm is a fire so intense that it creates its own
weather. "And yet his response was to take absolutely
complete and total responsibility for the handling of it. The
interesting aspect of the character of the man for me was the
fact that he didn't know any of the personalities he was
working with. He was only beginning to familiarize himself
with the city of Oakland. Yet he is the sort of man to say,
look, this happened on MY watch, I take full and complete
responsibility. That's extraordinary to me."
This isn't the first time Mr. Burton has been called
upon to play a real, living person. Many of his roles,
including GRAMBLING'S WHITE TIGER, have had him portraying
real people. Although he didn't meet the real Chief Ewell
until the last day of shooting, he says that he doesn't mind
the pressure of portraying someone who might tune in to his
performance. "I was able to put together a profile of the man
by talking to a lot of the people who work with him. He
commands an enormous amount of respect among the people under
him. He's that kind of man. I sort of have what I feel is a
successful formula for fleshing out the essence, finding the
essential quality that needs to be represented in the
character and honing in on that as the guiding force of the
performance."
In playing Ewell Mr. Burton once again makes himself
part of history. "I think it's safe to say that this was the
most catastrophic urban fire in modern history, and as is
always the case in a catastrophe like this, it has a tendency,
in my opinion, to bring out the best in human beings. This is
no different. The producers have done a good job of
assembling some of these intense and truly heroic stories, and
put them together in a dramatic fashion."
It wouldn't be the first time he's used television to
get so close to the events that remain in the public
consciousness. Even READING RAINBOW, the educational program
he has hosted (& produced) for 11 years, relates to real
historical events as much as possible, even the stories
highlighted are often fanciful. For instance, last October
the show did an installment focusing on the Vietnam War
Memorial. (For those of you outside the U.S.., it's an
enormous black granite wall engraved with the names of all the
U.S. soldiers who died in a war that was etched onto public
consciousness perhaps like no other.)
There is a quiet moment in the show when he just stands at
the wall staring. After a moment you realize the last name
listed is Burton. "I don't think I was related to the Burton
on the wall. I will say that it was an extraordinary
experience seeing my last name on that wall. I was totally
caught off guard. I didn't expect it. In fact, I had never
been to the Wall before, and one o the things that we wanted
to communicate on the show as the spontaneous feelings that I
experienced so we staged it, but we didn't go down to the Wall
until we were ready to shoot. It was a very emotional impact.
If you've never been to the wall, it's quite overwhelming."
He has some definite feelings about the role of television
in society. "Since ROOTS, it has been a supreme and conscious
effort on my part to involve myself in projects that are what
I consider to be a best use of the medium. Projects like
ROOTS, and READING RAINBOW, and STAR TREK. Programs that go
beyond that, that are so enlightening and empowering and
uplifting." At this point, his voice begins to take on a
missionary zeal. "As an actor, and as a director, and as a
producer, that is one of my primary goals. To involve myself
in projects that adhere to that standard. To love that dream
is a rare thing, and I an opportunity I am tremendously
grateful for. I feel that this whole industry of
entertainment, and television in particular, is so all-
pervasive ... Television is everywhere. It's all over the
planet. It links us all. I feel pretty certain that
television is the most powerful tool that we have created for
ourselves as a race of beings to address our own growth and
change, and we have an enormous opportunity to uplift
ourselves through the medium of television. It's the kinds of
programming that we produce for this medium which will
determine the degree to which we are able to lift ourselves
up."
Considering these high standards, one wonders what he
thought about the controversy over shows like "The Outcast"
about an androgynous society that considers a single gender to
be perversion. Fundamentalist groups led by Donald Wildmon
(Not to be confused with DRACULA star Gary Oldman) claimed
that the show glorified homosexuality. Mr. Burton, however,
had been unaware that a controversy had even existed. "This
is the first I've heard of it... I won't speak to what other
people are doing. What I do speaks for itself. I feel we
have a tremendous opportunity. Obviously other people don't
agree, or just haven't thought about it. But I'VE thought
about it, and I feel that I have to participate, and so, I act
accordingly. It goes beyond idealism. It's one thing to have
high ideals, but unless you beck it up with action, then it
just remains a concept."
Although he will certainly be remembered as Geordi La
Forge for many years to come, and runs a risk of being
typecast, he has no ill will towards Star Trek. "I LOVE STAR
TREK. Are you kidding? I love being on this show. I loved
being part of ROOTS; it's television history. Now, for the
second time, I have a chance to be a part of something that's
truly remarkable."
Which, of course, brings us back to acting with his eyes,
and the Dumb Question Of The Day: Does the visor, which
completely covers his eyes, limit his acting? "I definitely
limits you." He begins to laugh. "What a silly question, TJ.
If you have handcuffs on, does it limit your ability to tie
your shoes? Weeell, it depends on you're point of view."
More laughter. OK, so it was a dumb question. I have to hit
a dumb one every once in a while to keep my union card. "Yes,
it's frustrating to wear the visor. We just finished an
episode before Christmas where Geordi falls in love, and in
the rehearsals, it was zinging. There are certain aspects of
human behavior where eye contact is everything. So the
rehearsals would be great and we'd go to shoot and I'd put the
visor on and it would change everything. In the five and a
half years I've been doing the show I've been forced to find
ways around not being able to use my eyes.
"It's a matter of compensating, of being communicative
with other parts of my body and other aspects of my being."
That sounds kind of metaphysical. "Life as I experience it is
a metaphysical experience, a metaphysical journey, so if it
came out like that, I suppose it's because that's a large part
of my point of view."
All in all though, perhaps there is a little bit of Geordi
La Forge in LeVar Burton. "I do really appreciate the
inventiveness of human nature. It's astounding how far we've
come in terms of our ability to fascinate ourselves with
technology, gadgets ... stuff." He becomes noticeably less
serious. "I love toys. I love them! They're so cool. I
love playing with them. I'm not able to design them or build
them, but I can certainly play with them. I love electronic
stuff, I love stereo stuff, I love audiovisual stuff, I love
computer stuff, I love that stuff. It's great stuff!"
Also this season... "I've very excited about directing
this season. I'll be directing the episode that we shoot the
last week in March. I have no idea what the story is, and it
doesn't MATTER."
So does he have any advice for the whole slew of actors
who are being exposed to SF in the current boom? "Advice ...
hmm ... I haven't seen any of the new shows except for DEEP
SPACE NINE, so I don't really have any advice .... No. No
advice. That's counselor Troi's domain. You want advice, you
go to Troi."
You want toys, you go to LaForge.
"Exactly!"
--!2!--
THE VALUE OF FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS: or, the Day Katherine
Kurtz Got Lucky
It's every fan's dream to go to a convention and get his
or her Big Break -- or at least a pearl of wisdom -- from
a pro.
"The odds of that sort of thing happening today are
probable nil and zilch." admits author Katherine Kurtz, who
has had close to 20 books published, "but that's how it
happened 20 years ago."
Now she is best known for the Deryni series of books,
about a magical race of people and the persecution they face
as they try to help the monarchy in a pseudo-medieval world.
The latest book, KING JAVAN'S YEAR, is not particularly
cheerful. In fact, it's quite depressing and not a very good
introduction to the series. While the first books, which take
place a couple of centuries in the future, have a hopeful tone
to them, the books set in the time of Saint Camber and his
children don't for one simple reason: ultimately, we know the
good guys are going to lose, or the future world wouldn't
exist as it does.
Which makes for books that are like a Shakespeare drama:
you can count on one hand the characters alive at the end of
the book. It was a pattern that began to emerge several books
ago. "It was a violent time in the real history," Ms. Kurtz
told CV in a phone interview from her home in Ireland. The
holder of a Master's degree in Medieval English, she should
know.
Although there was a long, almost intolerable gap between
THE HARROWING OF GWYNEDD and KING JAVAN'S YEAR, the third
book o the trilogy, THE BASTARD PRINCE is already written, and
should follow after a much more reasonable interval. "The
trouble was that I really got held up with ??? because
Javan took over. It was like he was saying, 'Hey, you're
only going to let me live another year, what are you wasting
time with those other people for?' So I wound up having to
restructure the whole thing. Anytime that I could handle
with a flashback was pushed into the next books." Indeed,
there is very little of the usual Deryni characters in this
book.
Not that it is unusual for a book to get out of hand.
Originally, CAMBER OF CULDI was to be a single book. "I got
about half-way through it and I realized I was never going to
be able to fit everything into one book. So I called up
Lester Del Ray and I said, 'How about if we make it two
books?' So he said, 'Fine,' and he sent me another contract.
Then I was about a third of the way through the second one and
I realized that wasn't going to be enough either. So I called
back and said, 'Lester, I did it again. How about a trilogy?'
He said, 'Sure, we love trilogies.'" After THE BASTARD
PRINCE, the third book in the "Heirs of Saint Camber" trilogy.
Ms. Kurtz plans to work on the "Childe Morgan" series, in
addition to her work with Deborah Turner Harris on the ADEPT
series of books.
Back in Oakland in autumn of 1968, though, all of this
was not even a dream. It was Worldcon, and Kurtz told Steve
Whitfield, author of THE MAKING OF STAR TREK, about the
novella she had written and wanted to turn into a book.
"He listened to the idea and he said, 'You know, that
sounds really neat. Ballantine is just starting to look for
original fantasy to publish. They've been reprinting adult
fantasy for the last couple of years to try and get the market
established. Why don't you send it to Betty Ballantine and
see what she thinks? And don't just do one book, do three.'
"I said, 'You've got to be kidding. I haven't written
one book yet, and you want me to do three?"
Whitfield told her how to write a proposal and promised
to mention it to Betty Ballantine. "Unlike most people who
get advice like that do, I did what I was told. I sent off
the package." Ten days later, an offer arrived in the mail.
"It's a classic example of being in the right place at
the right time with the right stuff, and following through
with the opportunities that were presented," she said.
These days she finds that she can only attend a
convention if she is the guest of honor, so that her expenses
are paid. "Sure, it's tax deductible, but every day you're
away from you're writing is a day you're not getting any work
done. It's not like being on salary and getting benefits even
when you take a day off."
And how is she when SHE goes to a convention? "When I go
to a convention, it's because I look forward to meeting the
readers , and I always try to make sure that people know that
I am approachable," she said. "I don't bite, and furthermore,
I will sign autographs pretty much anytime that it's not
interfering with some program item.
"I'm there to meet the readers, to talk to them,
especially if something I wrote has made a major difference in
their life, which I get told fairly frequently. It's nice to
know when I've managed to do that."
--!3!--
WHEN TO KILL OFF A SUPERHERO: Mike Carlin on the Rationale
Behind Killing Off Superman -- and Bringing Him Back
If you've been anywhere in the United States for the last
few months, you know that Issue #75 of SUPERMAN saw the death
of the Man of Steel at the hands of an almost unbeatable
creature named Doomsday. He was truly dead; the story was
followed by "Funeral for a Friend." Long before he was dead,
however, people were already speculating as to how DC Comics
was going to bring him back. Some people talked about clones,
some about Kryptonian secrets yet undiscovered, some about the
possibility that the hiatus after "Funeral" would be a
permanent cancellation.
Then word began to filter out. A magazine quoted a
comics distributor who said that artwork existed for four
faceless Supermans (Supermen?) and that DC was going to have
not one but FOUR new incarnations, one Caucasian, one African
American, one Hispanic, and one Asian. It was less than two
days before DC, incensed by the rumor, put out a statement of
their own. It wasn't true, they said, and it wasn't even
really close.
So, like a good reporter, I called Martha Thomases,
press liaison for DC Comics in New York.
"No, it's not true," she told me. "In fact, the joke
around the office is that there's going to be a whole bunch of
Supermen -- one white, one black, one Hispanic, one Asian, one
priest, and one rabbi."
So she faxed me the press release and told me to call
her if I had any more questions. The release told the
following story: In "Superman: The Adventured of Superman"
#500, Superman's foster father Jonathan Kent has a near-death
experience in which he sees his adopted son and becomes
convinced that he is alive. Just as this is going on, four
being appear and claim to be Superman returned from the dead
in one way or another. They are: a cyborg from space that
apparently has everyone too scared to tell him he's not the
real Superman, a driven sort who "sets up shop in the Fortress
of Solitude and relentlessly takes the law into his own
hands," a teenager who appears to be a clone of the original
Superman, and a somewhat deranged steelworker named John Henry
Irons who was buried alive in the battle that killed Superman
and creates a high-tech suit of armor -- literally a man of
steel.
And as the release says, "And if one of these beings is
Superman, why can't anyone find Clark Kent?"
But I still had a couple of questions, so I called
Martha back. She told me that she hadn't read too far
advance. "You need to talk to the editor of the Superman
books, Mike Carlin. I've been reading Superman for a lot of
years, but he LIVES in Metropolis."
So I called the Great Carlini, and finally got to ask
him the question on everyone's mind: WHY had the killed him
off in the first place? Was it the money?
"We have four Superman titles each month," he told me,
"and an artistic team of 3 or 4 guys on each book. So we have
a total of about 15 people who work on Superman. Every year
we have a meeting. What we do is explore life in Metropolis
in general and we found that people were taking Superman for
granted, what with so many Superheroes around. It was the
same in the real world. What we wanted to do, and what we
have been doing in the story, 'Funeral for a Friend,' is
exploring a world without Superman. We were a little
surprised to find that the reaction in the real world was
remarkably similar to the reaction in Superman's world."
But it certainly paid off, didn't it?
"All we ever try to do, and what I think we have been
doing, is tell an interesting story. A fringe benefit of that
is that if you have an interesting story, people are going to
want to read it." Of course, they didn't really expect
people to believe he was dead for good, did they? "We
were a little surprised at how many people believed he would
stay dead. It's a little scary, because he's died before."
And that's not all that was surreal about it.
"The timing of the whole thing was a little strange.
People were comparing it to the (U.S. Presidential) election,
but that was never our intent. Of course, if people want to
read between the lines, let them have fun."
Well, it certainly has generated a lot of speculation.
"People were surprised when we told them Superman was
going to die because they thought we were telling them the end
of the story, but to us it's just the beginning of the story.
We would like people to come along with us and solve the
mystery: which of these four being is Superman -- or is it
all of them?" All four will be previewed in "Adventures" #500,
on sale the third week of April, and then each will be
featured in one of the four books, "Action" #687, "Man of
Steel" #22, "Superman" #78, and "Adventures" #501.
What about the people who say you just did it to get
Superman out of having to marry Lois Lane? (The pair had
finally gotten engaged.) "That's a creepy thing to think
about Superman."
I think they were referring to you.
"That's still a creepy thing to think. We are still
planning to head towards an altar someday, but now it depends
on Lois and whether or not she still loves Superman and what
he's become. Whenever anyone lives through a battle like
that, it's got to change them."
So there you have it.
"Only taxes are certain for Superman."
--!4!--
OVERUSED CHARACTERS IN WRITTEN SCIENCE FICTION
an essay by Lenore Levine (levine@symcom.math.uiuc.edu)
When I first started reading science fiction, in the late
fifties and early sixties, there was something about the genre
that I disliked, even as a little girl. That is, in an
extraordinarily large percentage of the stories, the only
strong women were the bad ones.
In too many books, the only female on the good side was a
meek and innocent ingenue, and the mature, assertive, sexually
experienced woman was a villain. Of course, characters
fitting that pattern have always been evident both in real
life and written literature. (Remember Amelia Sedley in Vanity
Fair?) However, at that time, there were disproportionately
many female images fitting these parameters; so many that it
became a cliche; so many that I used to wince when I read
otherwise good books using the formula, like Avram Davidson's
"The Phoenix and the Mirror," or Poul Anderson's "Three Hearts
and Three Lions." (It may be that one of the reasons I liked
the Heinlein juveniles, such as "The Star Beast," was the
relative strength of his women.)
For those of you who read science fiction then, and are
still reading it now, try a thought experiment. Imagine Poul
Anderson writing Harry Turtledove's "Krispos of Videssos," in
1959. Wouldn't Tanilis be a bad guy? And Dara, by some odd
configuration of events, have come to Krispos untouched by her
first husband? And wouldn't the novel be much worse for these
changes?
Stereotypes used in the Eisenhower administration may be
easy to detect now. But I suspect there is another unrealistic
image of women used in fantastic literature, more difficult to
perceive because it reflects current values: that is, the
competent, successful woman whose physical appearance happens,
by some chance, to be exactly that most valued in the writer's
own culture.
Once again, it is, of course, true that characters
fitting this description exist in real life. When I read, in
Harry Turtledove's "The Great Unknown," about the blonde
academician who looks (for reasons almost entirely beyond her
control) like a fashion model, I said to myself, this woman
sounds very much like a lady I know in this department.
One novel like "The Great Unknown" would not only be
extremely entertaining; it would also make the point that a
woman who looks like a toothpaste ad might be at least as
intelligent and compassionate as the rest of us. But what if
there are fifty such books? What if almost any issue of Analog
contains at least four stories with a beautiful female
heroine, in at least three of which there is a rotund,
unathletic villain? Then reading "The Great Unknown" is not
quite as much fun; and we begin to suspect some of these
stories would be better off with more original characters.
(If you want to try another thought experiment, imagine
Elizabeth Scarborough's "Nothing Sacred" or "The Healer's
War," as a serial in a recent ANALOG. Isn't there a fifty-
fifty chance the main characters, instead of being mousy and
unathletic, would be some sort of physically fit goddess
figures? And wouldn't these novels be a little less memorable
as a result?)
One wonders what effect these stories have on Analog's
young female readers. Are we teaching them that a woman whose
looks don't measure up has to stay in the background? Or that
it's OK to get that Ph.D. in nuclear physics you've always
wanted, but only if you diet until you're uncomfortably
hungry, and spend a hour on your hair and makeup each morning?
Overused images are not only found in Analog. There's a
certain type of novel, or short story, that's almost always
written by a female writer. Basically, it concerns a young
woman growing up in a pseudo medieval setting who rebels
against the values of her culture. She does not think she is
attractive because she is "too thin" (i.e., she IS attractive
by our standards); and she does not want to learn cooking and
sewing, but instead the athletic, military skills of her male
contemporaries. Since this plot provides a positive, competent
image of women, I used to be happy to see it -- or at least I
was the first thirty times around. But now I'm beginning to
wonder; can't one of these young women be less deft with the
sword -- and want to leave her father's castle anyway?
The excessive use of stereotypes does, indeed, present a
less than positive image to young women. But there's a much
better reason for avoiding them. That is, the really good
science fiction books, the ones read many times and truly
loved, are the ones where the author pays attention to what
his characters are saying about themselves; not the ones that
use overworked images from a clip book. Imagine Vlad Taltos
with a unicorn instead of a jhereg; Miles Vorkosigan without
his birth defects; or Doro without his moral ambiguity, either
wholeheartedly good or evil. And suppose that Jo Clayton,
instead of depicting Brann's romance with an old sorcerer, had
instead shown us another romance with an old sorcerer's
beautiful daughter?
I think Harry Turtledove's premise in The Great Unknown
is right, and people are still going to be reading twentieth
century science fiction quite a long time from now. (Consider
how many of us read the Heinlein juveniles over again every
few years.) But not the fifty-eighth story about a rebellious
medieval woman who has taken up all the goody-goody values of
the current era.
Or a rocket scientist who happens, just happens, to look
exactly like Christie Brinkley.
--!5!--
TAKING THE PLUNGE: How Colm Meaney Wound Up as Starfleet's
Everyman
There can't be an actor in the English-speaking world who
would refuse a regular role in a Star Trek television series,
right? OK, so Gates McFadden didn't want to do Star Trek:
The Next Generation. The show had been off the air for years,
you can excuse her her hesitation.
But that still doesn't explain why, last year, Colm
Meaney wasn't sure whether or not he wanted to be in the
ST-spinoff, DEEP SPACE NINE. Apparently it was the required
six- year contract that was the problem. "I think it's a
double edged-thing," he told me over a conference table before
a panel appearance at a convention in Cleveland, Ohio. "For a
lot of guys, Patrick (Stewart) and Jonathan (Frakes), and
those guys who've been involved since the beginning, I think
it's wonderful to have a show that is so successful and lasts
so long. On the other hand, I think they're all eager to get
on to other things and do a variety of work."
And a "variety of work" is just the phrase that could be
used to describe Mr. Meaney's career leading up to DSN. He
was in three movies just last year ("Far and Away," "The Last
of the Mohicans," and a film with Irish actor Gabriel Burne
and Ellen Barkin). He also had a substantial role as the
Elvis fanatic father in "The Commitments" -- yes, that really
was him singing, "if you want to call it that." In fact, you
never know where he's liable to show up. He's been seen
everywhere from a Scottish genealogist in an episode of
"MacGyver" to the pilot of a crashing airline pilot in DIE
HARD II. During the first season of ST:TNG he was starring on
Broadway opposite Derek Jacobi in BREAKING THE CODE.
So, with a whole new generation of fans (no pun intended)
discovering "the everyman Starfleet working stiff" -- thank
you Bill Henley -- it seems a good time to review how he found
himself in this position in the first place.
While he appeared in ST:TNG's pilot episode -- as N/D
Crew (for Nondescript) -- he did not appear again in the first
season.
"It just sort of grew," he recalled. "I mean, I know
that they had wanted me from the beginning to be involved in
the show, but they weren't sure what. I did a couple of
episodes in security, just bits and pieces that came up
because they wanted to use me, but I think it just kind of
evolved. They didn't set out to develop this character, it
just sort of came show to show."
Still, he got very upset the day a script arrived, while
he was visiting in Jonathan Frakes' trailer, with a cast list
entry of "Transporter Chief O'Brien."
"I said, 'Wait a minute, who's this O'Brien guy? I'M the
Transporter Chief!' So Jonathan made a couple of phone calls
and said, 'It's okay, Colm, it's you.'"
And so it is. For six years, at least.
--!6!--
ANIME 101: What The Heck Is It, Anyway?
by Dee Ann Latona (DXL106@PSUVM.PSU.EDU)
Go into most science fiction conventions and you'll most
likely
see several signs proclaiming:
Anime showing in room 517!
Bubblegum Crisis,
Ranma 1/2,
Gunbuster,
and more!
A portion of the people at the convention perk up at this, but
a larger portion look at the signs, scratch their heads, and
wonder what this "anime" thing is.
The use of the term "anime" by fans here in the U.S. and
other countries has a convoluted derivation. The term "anime"
is used in Japan to mean all animation, and was taken from the
English word "animation," and then shortened for assimilation
into the Japanese language.
However, the definition of anime goes farther than mere
linguistics. Anime is a style, which can generally be
recognized by several features. What most people seeing anime
for the first time comment most on is that fact that almost all
anime characters look occidental, as opposed to oriental. This
anomaly can generally be explained by the fact that Westerners
have a greater variety of physical appearances to choose from,
reducing the detail necessary in the characters, and therefore
reducing the budget of the show.
Also, anime character physical attributes tend to be taken
to extremes, resulting in strange hair colors, huge eyes, busty
women, and lean men. Once again, much of this can be
attributed to budget, while the large eyes are simply
stylistic. Hair colors such as purple and blue added onto the
normal palette make it easier to distinguish between
characters without expensive extra detail. Also, large chests,
while usually attributed to sexually frustrated animators, are
generally due to the fact that they are easier to draw than
small chests. As far as thin men go, the heroes of anime are
idealized, as they are in most other animation and live action
mediums.
The bottom line here is that time equals money. Simpler
character designs mean that animators can crank out more work
at a faster pace, as most anime shows are done on a weekly
basis. Some of the better, more detailed art comes from one
shot movies or really short series.
What attracts most fans to anime, however, is the wide
range of shows available. Unlike America, where animation is
only now starting to not be viewed as a medium for "children,"
almost all Japanese watch some sort of anime. Certainly, there
are shows that are aimed at children, and some of them even
rival the Smurfs as far as the sickly sweet factor is
concerned. Actually, according to a dear friend of mine and
fellow anime fan, "Some of these shows make the Smurfs look
like tobacco-chewing, gun-toting, tatooed death-bikers." Most
of the shows filtering to the U.S. and Canada are aimed at
adolescent males, though some of those aimed at adolescent
girls make it over on occasion.
Anime shows range from comedies, to robot "mecha" combat,
to teen dramas. All genres seem to be covered, unlike in
American animation, where the emphasis is on "kiddie" and
"fantasy" series. While Bakshi has been attempting to change
this with movies like "Cool World," things still have a long
way to go on the American animation front. American producers
and viewers need to be shown that animation is an excellent,
much less expensive alternative to spending millions of dollars
on special effects.
Unlike American animation, anime has something for
everyone.
--!7!--
A NEW CAUSE: Bjo Trimble Talks About Starting Another Science
Fiction Network
Back in the 1960's, Bjo Trimble made a name for herself as
the organizer of the write-in campaign that got the third
season of the original STAR TREK on the air. Now she is
becoming just as well known as the chief flag-waver for the
SPACE, FANTASY AND ADVENTURE NETWORK, or SFAN.
But wait a minute, you say, isn't there already a Science
Fiction Channel? When the SFAN write-in campaign started,
"the Multi System Operators reacted with 'Well, you're going
to get your wish, we're picking up the Scifi Channel,' and the
fans wrote back and said, 'No, we don't want that one, we want
another one.'"
Plagued by outrageous claims, frequent reactions, and
postponements of their starting date, SFC is finally on the
air - amid disappointment in many quarters. It isn't because
the fans won't sustain a science fiction channel, it's just
that they don't like the way it's being done.
And SFAN would it be any different? Probably. While SFC
is being run by professional programmers for a huge
corporation, SFAN is headed by that most talented of
individuals, a Fan With An Idea. "It got started by a guy
named Mike Kelley. He's just kind of an ordinary guy, he's
just very very bright. Many of us, for many many years, have
always kicked around, 'Hey, wouldn't it be nice if we had our
own science fiction channel?' After all, there's never enough
science fiction on TV, right? Most of us never did much about
it, but he has, for about eight years, been planning and
putting this thing together. Well, here we have Scifi Channel
out of the blue, and he has to spring into some kind of
action. He had been very quietly gathering together people
and funding and what-have-you, when Scifi Channel dove onto
the scene. At first, Mike's reaction was the same as Maurice
Lunden, who was trying to start the "Alternate Channel," and
Steve Lampert's horror channel. It is NOT a new idea. There
have been many, many people trying it.
"Maurice Lunden, even before Mike did, contacted Scifi
Channel and said, 'Well, look, I've got all these ideas and
contacts lined up, but I've never been able to find the
funding. Let's get together.' He was ignored. Shortly after
that, Mike tried to arrange for maybe everyone to get
together. Nothing.
"Soon after that, it became obvious that most of the
claims that the Scifi Channel were making were not true. They
kept announcing dates that came and went with no explanation,
they announced that they had offices at Disneyland, which
turned out to be an empty building, they were announcing that
they had BBC programming... The BBC was VERY upset because
they considered that it prevented them from renting those
programs.
"It's a very simple thing. YOU could pick up the phone
and call the people with, say, the STAR TREK ANIMATED SERIES,
which they don't value very much, and say 'Hey, if I start a
television channel here, can I rent them.' They'd say, 'Sure.
Show up with the money.' And at that point, [Scifi Channel
head] Rubenstein was announcing that they had all the STAR
TREK ANIMATEDS, when in fact, they were not contracted. This
was checked on by BRIT-TV, and half a dozen other magazine.
Forry Ackerman himself called the BBC and the BBC kept saying,
'We don't know who this guy is, but he hasn't rented these
things!' They announced that Gene Roddenberry was one of the
people working with them. Gene Roddenberry's office wrote
several letters saying, 'No, when you called and asked if he
was interested he told you then that he was too sick to work
on anything else, that he had no interest.' He was basically
doing the polite, 'I don't think so, but keep me posted on
your progress.' He was too ill to carry through with 'Sue him
and make him shut up,' so they just let it go on.
"So Mike said, "Hey, they're not going to do anything
with this,' and just went on with his plans."
"But Mike has done a very clever thing. He realizes that
he's not a businessman, and that he doesn't have the technical
knowledge about the industry, so he's gone out and found
himself
a CEO, and a production manager, and a publicity manager, and
he'll just let these people loose to do their work. But none
of these people are willing to have their names mentioned until
we're on the air, mostly because they still have jobs. But I
can
say that the CEO is one of the people who made Congressional
appearances that broke the hold that the big three networks
had on cable."
So what was the problem. If Scifi Channel could do it,
why couldn't SFAN? "We're kind of in a catch 22. We have to
get notice from the big Multi-System Operators that control
most of the major decisions about what takes up space on
cable, and we've got to get funding. Well, the people with
the money don't want to give it to us until they're pretty
sure we're going to get on the air. Which means that we're
operating out of Mike's pocket and the Trimble pocket. Now,
I've gotta tell you. The Trimble pocket is getting pretty
shallow about now. But there's no way around it.
"Then Rubenstein sold Scifi Channel to USA Networks." No
details of the deal are available.
And now that SFC has gone on the air, does that change
things any? Not really. A look at the SFC lineup forced a
total of two changes on SFAN. "Show ideas that we have we'd
be CRAZY to tell you about. It would be a nanosecond before
Scifi Channel would say, 'Hey, we can do this for only a
few thousands instead of a few zillion.' There's no way to
protect that kind of thing. You cannot copyright an idea.
But we've got a dozen good startup programs, and thousands
of movies to choose from, ranging from great to 'Why are we
watching this?' But that's fun too.
"And if people submit an idea that is not just usable
but we use it on the air, we'll pay them for it. We're not
just going to use it without credit."
Plus, they have access to the hundreds, maybe thousands
of miles of footage from NASA satellites and probes. "We can
do what NASA never seems to be able to do: make space
interesting."
So they must be hoping that SFC will fail, right? Wrong.
"My greatest fear is that Scifi Channel won't succeed at all.
Or that it will crash and burn. Because once that happens, the
whole idea is dead for years. We won't be able to get the
time of day from the MSO because they'll just say, 'Hey, we
tried it and it didn't work.' The copycat nature of this
industry is to our advantage."
All of this leads back to what made Bjo famous in the
first place- the write-in campaign. Apparently, the way to go
is to convince not your local cable company, but the
Multi-System Operators that they should pick up SFAN.
The easiest way for us to tell you to do that is to include
Bjo's list of addresses and tips for a successful letter-
writing campaign.
=================== TOP FIVE CABLE MSOs ===================
Number One: Tele-communications Inc. Suite 600 John C. Malone,
President & CEO 4643 South Ulster Street Denver, Colorado,
80237
Phone: 303-721-5500
Number Two: ATC-WARNER-PARAGON Joseph P. Collins, Chmn. & CEO
300
First Stamford Place Stamford, Connecticut 06902-6732
Phone: 203-328-0600 Fax : 203-328-0690
Number Three: Continental Cablevision, Inc. Amos B. Hofstetter,
Jr.,
Chmn. & CEO Pilot House Lewis Warf Boston, Massachusetts 02110
Phone: 502-223-3401
Number Four: Comcast Corporation Ralph J. Roberts, Chmn. 1234
Market
Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-3732 Phone : 215-685-
1700
Number Five: Cox Cable Communications James O. Roberts,
President
1400 Lake Hearn Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30319 Phone: 404-843-
5000
========== HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE LETTERS ===================
1. Write a short, sincere individual letter to EACH multi-
system operator (MSO) saying that you want the Space Fantasy &
Adventure Network (SFAN). When mail is counted, your letter
will truly make the difference.
2. THEN, ask 10 people to write letters. They write the letters
and then ask 10 people to write letters, and on and on (get the
idea?). Don't be judgmental; there are many "closet" fans out
there: fellow workers, neighbors, church groups, classmates,
civic and other clubs, etc.
3. Don't (ever) address a V.I.P. (executive) familiarly, act
smart, use insulting language, or tell a corporation how to run
their business. You are asking for a favor--the privilege of
getting SFAN, you own special genre network. The wrong attitude
will nullify your letter.
4. Be pleasant. Corporations seldom get anything but
complaints, so a cheerful, upbeat letter can make a CEO more
receptive.
5. Don't use form letters, mimeographed (photocopied) or
multiple carbons. Such letters give the impression that only a
small segment is doing all the writing--but computer letters
are OK.
6. Sign the letter!! Anonymous mail is sleazy and is either
thrown away or put in the "nut" file.
7. Use company letterhead or club stationery if you have a
right to. Corporations are sensitive to potential "Pressure
groups." But ...
8. Don't misrepresent yourself. Corporations are geared to
ferret out spurious claims. Such tricks will not help SFAN and
someone may check it out for a news story.
9. Don't barrage local cable companies -- they are not
interested unless the MSOs are interested and accept SFAN
first.
10. Use petitions to get the names from those who won't bother
to write a letter themselves. Corporations understand that only
a percentage of people will get off their fat apathy to write
letters; signatures on a petition can show how many MORE people
want SFAN on their cable. The petition should have at least one
contact address.
11. Don't mail you letters to SFAN!! We would have to re-mail
them. We DO want to hear about your mail campaign tho'.
12. For this campaign, it is not necessary to use business
envelopes. Personal stationery and postcards will do just fine.
So where does that leave her if the network reaches the
airwaves? "If I worked in this, I would be the Director of
Viewer relations, which would include doing exactly what I've
been doing in fandom for 35 years for free: writing to fans,
answering letters, listening to their concerns, reviewing
their suggestions, interfacing with merchandising and telling
them what will sell and what won't. I can handle my end of the
business. It would be going to conventions, talking about
SFAN, dealing with fans, in other words. As I said, pretty
much what I've been doing."
[Bjo Trimble also runs a great newsletter called SPACE TIME
CONTINUUM, and can be reached at 713-359-4284. The address
is 2059 Fir Springs Dr., Kingwood TX, 77339-1701, USA]
--!8!--
Mark Morris
"The Immaculate"
British Hardcover $37
review by Rick Kleffel
About two years ago, on your local grocery store's shelf,
you might have seen a novel titled "The Horror Club", about
three boys whose monstrous play acting creates some very real
supernatural problems. This 500 page American masterpiece
was in fact an edited version of Mark Morris' 700 page
English release, "Toady", a surprisingly enjoyable epic that
combined elements of Dickensian characterization, Tolkeinian
fantasy and Stephen King- style horror in a work that came
off as an astonishingly original. His second novel, "Stitch",
has just come out in America as an Abyss novel by Dell.
In his third novel, "The Immaculate", (now available as
an English import) Mark Morris, a columnist for the prominent
British genre periodical "Million", sets out to conquer the
English Ghost Story, once the sole dominion of writers such as
M. R. James and Ramsey Campbell. It's a close call and
dangerous move, but in the end he succeeds admirably. In the
process, however, he makes the task incredibly difficult for
himself, by making his main character a possibly
autobiographical horror writer, tortured by memories of
childhood abuse at the hands of his father.
It's a situation ripe for cliche, and at times Morris
treads on the wrong side of the line. But his talent for
creating scruffy villains of Dickensian proportions carries
him through to an effective finish. In this novel, he
deliberately backs away from the grand tone of his earlier
works, and tries to create a confined world and evoke low- key
emotions of fear. Unfortunately, it's hard not to see the
horror- writer main character as distinctly autobiographical,
and this distracts the reader. Still, the quality of Morriss'
writing manages to shine through. While those who were so
enamored of "Toady" and "Stitch" may mourn Morriss' move from
the big screen to the personal film style we see in "The
Immaculate", others will see it as yet another step, slightly
hesitant, in the development of a significant and talented
writer.
Copyright 1992 Rick Kleffel (rickk@emu.com)
--!9!--
ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO TRANSMIT
Awards time ...
Genre nomination for the Outstanding Achievement Awards for
1992 from the American Society of Cinematographers: Best
episodic achievement: Michael Watkins, ``Quantum Leap''
The Golden Globes have been given out. "Aladdin," as
expected, took the awards for best score and best song (for "A
Whole New World" -- Alan Menken and Tim Rice.) That wasn't
all for the animated smash, as Robin Williams was given a
special award for his performance in the movie.
Where does Whoopi Goldberg keep all those awards? She can now
add the NAACP's 25th Annual Image Awards to her collection.
Her movie SISTER ACT was named outstanding motion picture, and
she was named outstanding actress for her role in the picture.
She was also nominated for her role as Guinan on ST:TNG.
March 29th will see Italian director Frederico Fellini receive
an honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards. He can lay claim to
a total of 16 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best
Director, and Best Screenplay. You say you don't see the
connection to science fiction and fantasy? Then you've
obviously never seen his film "8 1/2".
PATRICK STEWART has been nominated for a Grammy in the
category of "Best Spoken Word or Non-Musical Album" for his
performance of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. BTW: Anyone who received the
discount coupon for the Broadway performances from CV is
invited to drop us a line and let us know what you thought of
it. Heck, let us know even if you DIDN'T get the coupons from
us. Other genre Grammy nominations: "BEAUTY AND THE
BEAST" (5) and the soundtrack for HOOK (John Williams).
Oscar trivia: There are 5,000 ballots mailed, and the Academy
puts out a list of the eligible films and their casts. This
year, there are 238, and the balloting closes February 3.
-!-
According to United Press International (UPI), Romania is
trying to use the success of BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA to buoy its
tourist business. "As a Romanian, I regret that Dracula is
one of the only images that the outside world has of
Romania,'' said Tourist Minister Dan Matei. ``But as minister
of tourism I must profit from this. I can hardly wait for the
Americans to come here and spend dollars after quaking at the
sight of puddles of blood."
Although, according to a guidebook, Irish writer Bram
Stoker never got anywhere near Transylvania, he fashioned a
story about Vlad the Impaler, who publicly impaled his enemies
during war with the Turks, which will likely be re-made many
more times to come before it is finally put to rest.
-!-
As of the week ending January 22, Disney's "Beauty and the
Beast" had hit $181 million in overseas grosses, topping its
domestic gross by $35 million.
-!-
Upcoming movies:
DENNIS THE MENACE, based on Hank Ketcham's comic strip, has
finished principal photography. The film is from Warner
Brothers, and is written and produced by John Hughes. Mason
Gamble plays Dennis. His parents are played by Lea Thompson
(BACK TO THE FUTURE) and Robert Stanton, and Dennis' neighbors
George and Martha Wilson, are played by Walter Matthau and Joan
Plowright. Christopher Lloyd, genre mainstay, will play a
visitor to Dennis' town. Given his reputation, I don't think
he'll be driving the bookmobile.
No firm date has been set, but Orion will be releasing THE
DARK HALF, based on the Steven King novel, sometime this fall.
It stars Timothy Hutton and Amy Matigan, and George Romero
directs.
More and more people are talking about ALIEN VS PREDATOR. We
haven't been able to get any sort of confirmation, but WIZARD
#16 has reported that it might hit the screens as early as
1994. As soon as we get something definite, we'll let you
know. Right now the closest we can get is the fact that
Howard Berger, co-owner of one of Hollywood's largest Special
Makeup Effects firms, says that Dark Horse is DEFINITELY
working on it, but that it's still in the development stage.
What 20th Century Fox IS doing, though, is working on GHOST IN
THE MACHINE, a film about a woman stalked by a serial killer
in the form of a computer virus. (Apparently all these
computer controlled devices come after her.) Directed by
Rachel Talalay (FREDDIE'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE), it stars
Karen Allen of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK fame.
Imperial Pictures is distributing NEMESIS, a film starring
Olivier Gruner, about a 35 percent cyborg cop who goes around
blowing androids and cyborgs and robots. Gruner told
newspapers that "I am happy making action adventure pictures
to begin with, but my dream is to become a serious actor in
good movies." (Don't ask me, I just report this stuff. --
Ed.)
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1, February 5. Do we really
have to tell you what movie they are parodying?
Mid-March: FIRE IN THE SKY, from Paramount. In 1975, five
lumberjacks when out into the woods. Only four came back.
These four, who had basically been in the same small timber
town all their lives, were accused of murdering the missing
lumberjack, Travis Walton. After four or five days, however,
he mysteriously re-appeared, having no idea what happened to
him. Hypnosis, however, revealed that he had been abducted by
an Unidentified Flying Object. He was deluged by the press,
researchers, etc., but he never sold his story. Finally,
driven to distraction, he had his phone disconnected and
vanished into obscurity.
All that is true. One day TRACY TORME' (of ST:TNG fame)
was driving in his car and heard about the story on the news.
He became interested in developing it as a film, but nobody
could find Mr. Walton until finally, deciding that 17 years
was a long time for anyone to remember anything about him, he
had his phone reconnected. That very day (or so media legend
goes) Mr. Torme contacted him about bringing his story to the
big screen, and he finally relented.
Because Mr. Walton never made a dime on his experience
(except for this film, of course) it is considered to be one
of the most reliable accounts of an alien abduction. We'll
let you see the film and decide for yourself. The film's
stars include ROBERT PATRICK (T2) and D.B. SWEENEY.
November 19, 1993: THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2, from Paramount
-- ANGELICA HOUSTON, RAUL JULIA, and CHRISTOPHER LLOYD have
already signed to repeat the roles they played in the first
blockbuster. The film will be directed by BARRY SONNENFELD
and produced by SCOTT RUDIN.
JULY 23, 1993: THE CONEHEADS, also from Paramount. Based on
the sketches made famous in the early days of SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE. It will be produced by LORNE MICHAELS (no big surprise
there ...), directed by STEVE BARRON, and written by DAN
ACKROYD, TOM DAVIS, and BONNIE AND TERRY TURNER. Dan Ackroyd
has already signed to star in the film (obviously) but there's
no word on JANE CURTAIN.
TriStar is developing another adaptation of the
FRANKENSTEIN story, this one written by JIM HART.
PINOCCHIO, from Jim Henson Productions (No other info right
now.)
Is there no end in sight? THE ADDAMS FAMILY, DENNIS THE
MENACE, THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, even THE BRADY BUNCH have
been or are in the process of being made into movies. In the
true Hollywood spirit of "If it worked once, it'll work two
dozen times," there are now plans to make a live-action movie
of THE FLINTSTONES. Expected stars: John Goodman (ROSANNE)
as Fred Flintstone, and RICK MORANIS (GHOSTBUSTERS, HONEY I
SHRUNK/BLEW UP THE KIDS) as Barney Rubble. You say you can't
wait? Then tune into "I Yabba-Dabba Do!" February 7 on ABC.
Pebbles finally marries Bamm-Bamm Rubble.
Army of Darkness: Evil Dead 3 will be in the theaters February
19, as Howard Berger of K.N.B. EFX will remind you every
chance he gets. It's from Universal.
1994: LION KING, an animated feature about animals on the
Serengheti Plain -- from Disney.
-!-
Harlequin lifestyle editors asked to name the most romantic
men and women mentioned the following genre related actors and
actresses: KEVIN COSTNER, MEL GIBSON, TOM CRUISE, MICHELLE
PFEIFFER (second only to Cindy Crawford), SHARON STONE, JULIA
ROBERTS, GEENA DAVIS, KIM BASINGER, and WINONA RYDER.
-!-
Batman and Detective are going bi-monthly leading up to Batman
#500, which will be a special anniversary issue, reportedly
involving the return of Bane.
-!-
For you sound freaks: Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox is releasing
the Star Wars Box Set with THX Pro Logic sound. Same for THE
ABYSS. They will reportedly be remastered specifically for
the THX system, but compatible with all other systems.
-!-
Well, if you're in Chicago, keep an eye out for HARRISON FORD.
He'll be arriving this month to begin working on a remake of
THE FUGITIVE. You might find him hanging out with RAIDERS OF
THE LOST ARK co-star JOHN RHYS DAVIES, who is there filming
THE UNTOUCHABLES. He plays Mallone, the role co-star SEAN
CONNERY played in the film version. If you DO catch sight of
him, though, please keep in mind that he's one of the more
private people in the industry. Don't let him think that all
fans are crazed lunatics with no respect for another person's
rights.
-!-
The student center at McGill University in Montreal will NOT
be renamed the WILLIAM SHATNER building, despite the fact that
a) he is an alumni (a business degree in 1952) and b) a
student referendum voted for the change. Apparently the
problem rests partly in the fact that Shatner is still alive.
-!-
The world, she is a'changin'. Used to be you had to
physically travel to a convention, but no more. TELECON 1
will be an electronic comic book convention held over in GEnie
February 6, 1993. Featured guests will be Terry Collins,
Keith R.A. DeCandido, Robert W. Gibson, Dwayne McDuffie,
Bill Neville, Patrick O'Neill, Alvin Schwartz, Larry Stark,
Arne Starr, Len Straczewski, John Terra, Lawrence Watt-Evans,
Matt Wayne, Mel White, Julie Woodcock, and others. Events
will include many of the usual, such as panels, though
obviously signings are out of the question. However, the
organizers are making up for it with events you can't have at
a real con, such as electronic chats with comics characters
(portrayed by their writers, of course.)
In order to participate, you must have an active account
on GEnie as of the 6th. Also, although the Real Time
Conferences usually cost $6/hr, if you enter between noon and
3pm you will not be charged, not matter how long you stay,
even if it's after 3pm. For more info on GEnie, call (800)638-
9636. For more info about TeleCon, call Joel Ellis Rea at
(318)424-3143 or send e-mail to j.real@genie.geis.com.
-!-
Upcoming television...
Wondering if there will be any new HIGHLANDER episodes?
Apparently so. The cast is currently filming in Paris, France,
and will be until April. Also, more almost news on
HIGHLANDER III. There IS a script, but now there's no
director. According to David Panzer Productions, RUSSELL
MULCAHY was supposed to direct, but he has pulled out, and
legal action is pending. There is another director in mind,
but his name will not be released until the deal is finalized.
Christopher Lambert has been signed, and they hope to begin
shooting in April.
Columbia Pictures Television has jumped onto the SF bandwagon,
producing not one, but two pilots for new series. The first is
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, a new adaptation of the
novel, directed by William Dear. It stars Jeffrey Nordling,
Francis Guinan, Farrah Forke, Kim Miyori, Fabiana Udenio,
David Dundara, Tim Russ, and John Neville. F. Murray Abraham
guest stars. For more information, see SPOILERS AHOY!!!
The second is in this section because there's no telling when
it might air. Originally titled DOORS, George R.R. Martin's
new television show is currently called DOORWAYS. Two pilots
have been filmed -- a two hour pilot for European TV and a 90
minute US version -- but so far there is no word on when (if
ever) it will air. The premise of the show is a series of
doors which open onto parallel universes. Dr. Tom Mason
(George Newbern) is drawn into the mystery when he gets
involved with a strange patient, Cat (Anne Le Guernec), who
literally drops out of the sky onto a highway.
If her strange language, high-tech weapon and glowing
bracelet aren't enough to convince people that there's
something strange about her (they are) it would have been
clinched by the two beings who have followed her though the
Door, Thane (Robert Knepper) and Dyana (Signy Coleman).
Apparently she was running from punishment for trying to kill
Darklord, her enslaver -- and the fact that Thane has chosen
her as a mate. And to make things worse, an intelligence agent
named Trager (Kurtwood Smith) is more than a little interested
in that gun she's carrying, which shoots needle-like
projectiles.
Thus it begins. Tom escapes with Cat through another
Door only to discover that they are one-way. They can't go
back, and they don't know what's forward. So they run,
encountering new universes along the way, and try to stay
ahead of Thane and Dyana.
George R.R. Martin is the creator and executive producer
of the show, and wrote the pilot. Jim Crocker is the executive
producer, Peter Werner is the director, Bruno George did the
FX, and Brad Loman did the costume design.
Return of the TOMORROW PEOPLE. If you're a die-hard DOCTOR
WHO fan, you've probably heard of this show. Years ago Peter
Davison, who later went on the play the Doctor's fifth
incarnation, had a part in the original version, which aired
on British television. The series, about a group of
telepathic children, has apparently been re-made by
Nickelodeon, and will air February 21 - 24.
TEK VENGEANCE, WILLIAM SHATNER's latest novel, has hit the
stands. That may not be the end of it, though. Apparently
besides the Marvel comic book, there's a syndicated TV show,
ala' ST:TNG, due out next fall.
-!-
JAMES EARL JONES, the man who voiced Darth Vader, spoke at the
inauguration of United States President Bill Clinton. Does
this mean we're really through talking about the Evil Empire?
(Obscure political joke. Please forgive us.) Mr. Jones, who
has had a more than distinguished acting career even without
his stint at the Dark Lord of the Sith in the STAR WARS
movies, told Whoopi Goldberg that "To be relevant to a whole
new generation of kids who haven't seen KING LEAR is
wonderful."
It wasn't all smooth sailing, though. Apparently the
traffic situation was intolerable, and Mr. Jones, WHOOPI
GOLDBERG, TONY BENNETT, and LAUREN BACALL wound up unable to
find their limos and hitched a ride back to their hotel on a
school bus.
-!-
More info on ATTACK OF THE FIFTY FOOT WOMAN. Staring DARYL
HANNAH, who made her name in the genre with BLADE RUNNER and
SPLASH as Nancy Archer, a rich, beautiful young woman who is
anything but well off. She encounters a spaceship "which
gives her a long-lasting, out-of-this-world experience,"
according to the press release. She the grows to enormous
heights and re-claims her life from her domineering father and
slime-ball husband. (One can only hope that this has nothing
to do with her romance with John F. Kennedy Jr.)
It will be directed by CHRISTOPHER GUEST (THE PRINCESS
BRIDE, THE BIG PICTURE), and written by JOSEPH DOUGHERTY, the
executive producers will be Dougherty and DANIEL H. BLATT,
with Hannah and CHUC
K BINDER as co-executive producers. It is
being made in association with Lorimar Television, and will be
shown sometime this year.
-!-
After 15 years, MAX ALLEN COLLINS is being replaced as the
writer of the Dick Tracy comic strip. Collins, who wrote the
novelization of the DICK TRACY movie, and currently writes a
BATMAN comic strip, says that Tribune Media has violated his
contract, and that he has turned the matter over to attorneys.
-!-
That's it for SPACE RANGERS, apparently. The show has been
taken off CBS's schedule, and they have not yet ordered more
episodes, but there's no word as to the show's future in
foreign markets, where it had been purchased before it was
even made. A call to CBS gleaned the hope that the network
could be saving the un-seen shows to be aired later, either
with or without additional episodes, but we here at CV don't
think it's likely. (Too bad, too. I may be the only one, but
I liked it. A little bubblegum is good for the brain every
once in a while. --- Ed.)
-!-
MANDY PATINKIN (THE PRINCESS BRIDE, DICK TRACY) is starring in
the Broadway play "Falsettos."
-!-
First there was Kermit, then Sesame Street, then The Muppet
Show, then the movies, and the Disney World associations, and
now... their very own video label. Jim Henson Productions,
headed now by his son Brian, has announced the creation of Jim
Henson Video. The first releases will be THE MUPPET MOVIE,
THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER, two tapes of THE MUPPET SHOW, and
three of the MUPPET BABIES.
-!-
An interesting note: While science fiction and fantasy fans
are considered to be a minority, a look at the top ten
videocassette rentals in the United States as of this printing
includes three SF&F films and an action-adventure. Either
we're more prevalent than everyone thinks or we're couch
potatoes.
Some food for thought on that issue: Nine out
of the top ten children's tapes are animated, and ALL of them
require a large amount of imagination to accept them. (When
was the last time you saw a 6 foot talking purple dinosaur?)
Maybe we just have it bred out of us as adults. What do YOU
think?
-!-
There has always been a fringe of fan literature that mixes
science fiction and/or fantasy with erotica. It has always
remained on the fringe, however, because the sex is
unacceptable in SF&F circles, and the SF&F is unacceptable in
erotica circles.
Or is it?
When Cecilia Tan got fed up with that segregation, she
published her own work, TELEPATHS DON'T NEED SAFEWORDS: AND
OTHER STORIES FROM THE EROTIC EDGE OF SF/F. The test run of
100 copies sold out at one convention. It is now in it's
third printing, and a second book is in it's second printing,
both by Inland Book Company.
So Circlet Press (as it's called) is in full swing and
about to release 6 more anthologies, with single author works
and novels on the way. For more information or for
anthology themes and deadlines send a stamped self-addressed
envelope to Circlet Press, PO Box 15143, Boston, MA, 02215, or
send e-mail to ctan@world.std.com.
-!-
WHOOPI GOLDBERG has joined the cast of HBO's AND THE BAND
PLAYED ON, a movie about the history of AIDS. HBO was
reportedly having trouble casting the 106 roles because of
actors' fears of being associated with a movie about the
disease. Apparently they are a little more willing since
Richard Gere defied the rumors that he is gay and announced
that he would be in the movie.
-!-
Michelle Pfeiffer, who played Catwoman in BATMAN RETURNS, will
be starring in Martin Scorcese's THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, to be
released this fall.
-!-
Rumors are that Marvel's AMAZING SPIDERMAN #374 is going
to be a hot issue, but we don't have any details on why.
-!-
Paramount doubled its earning for 1991 in fiscal year
1992, and expects the trend to continue in 1993. Cited were
first run syndication, such as STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
and THE UNTOUCHABLES, four Kings Entertainment theme parks,
and, of course, publishing. Simon and Shuster, the parent
company for Pocket Books, which publishes the Star Trek books,
is owned by Paramount, and will be re-named "Paramount
Publishing." It will adopt the Paramount Mountain as it's
corporate logo.
Paramount also owns (with MCA) USA Networks, which, in
turn, owns the Science Fiction Channel. (My, but it's a small
corporate world!)
Paramount also announced that it will be "renewing and
extending" the pay television distribution pact first forged
with Home Box Office in 1987. It originally gave exclusive
cable rights to HBO and Cinemax, but no details of the current
deal were released save that it will run through 1997.
-!-
British Sky Broadcasting has made a deal with Nickelodeon to
provide 12 hours per day of children's programming in the
United Kingdom. The service, also called Nickelodeon, will
begin in October.
-!-
Arnold Schwartznegger, Julia Roberts, and Jack Nicholson were
among 125 celebrities to sign a Greenpeace declaration against
the proliferation of radioactive Plutonium.
-!-
You may remember DENNIS HAYSBERT from BUCK ROGERS IN THE 21st
CENTURY. If not, you'll get a chance to refresh your memory
with the release of LOVE FIELD, in which he stars opposite
MICHELLE PFIEFFER of BATMAN RETURNS. He will also be
appearing in "Queen," the sequel to "Roots," which will air on
American TV on CBS this month. He will also be playing a
pair of half-brothers in "Suture."
-!-
And speaking of MICHELLE PFIEFFER, she has earned a place eon
Mr. Blackwell's list of the 10 women who were the "fabulous
fashion independent for 1992." GEENA DAVIS, however, found
herself on the list of the "Worst Dressed Women of 1992."
Blackwell referred to the taller-than-average actress as "Big
Bird in heels." And considering his comments on some of the
other women on the list, that was kind.
-!-
Sick of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST? Will, if you're in New York,
check out FORBIDDEN BROADWAY 1993. The parody show, now in
its eleventh year, includes a sketch featuring the Little
Mermaid, Lumiere, Genie, and Mrs. Potts. It's a musical
number called "Be Depressed."
-!-
CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT is currently starring in KNIGHT MOVES with
Diane Lane.
-!-
Looking for a new DARKOVER novel? Word is that April will
bring REDISCOVERY, co-authored by MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY and
MERCEDES LACKEY.
--!10!--
SPOILERS AHOY!!!
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH: F. Murray Abraham plays
Professor Harlech, uncle to Christopher Turner (JEFFERY
NORDLING). When Harlech is killed attempting to travel under
the crust of the earth, Turner's designs for a ship to carry on
the quest are utilized by Hiram Wentworth (FRANCIS GUINAN).
(Indications are that he steals them.)
The resulting ship, the "Adventure," holds a crew of
seven: Wentworth, Turner, Wentworth's "personal
representative," Dr. Margo Peterson (Farrah Forke), Dr. Tesue
Ishikawa (KIM MIYORI), rock climber Sandy Miller (FABIANA
UDENIO), test pilot Tony LaStrella (DAVID DUNDARA), munitions
expert and former Navy Seal Joe Briggs (TIM RUSS), and an old
friend of Harlech, Dr. Ceceil Chalmers (JOHN NEVILLE), an
expert in mythology.
Once the crew is assembled, the ship dives into an
erupting volcano (supposedly the only way to get to the "inner
world"), entering caverns where they encounter giant
mushrooms, mazes, bubbling red lakes, disappearing
passageways, and some seeming silliness: Dallas, a friendly
"abominable-snowman-type beast," and Troglodytes, who "want to
eat the hapless crew members to gain their knowledge." (It
sounded so silly we didn't even want to TRY and interpret it.
It remains to be seen how it will be handled.)
And then, of course, there's the Black Prince, an evil
creature who wants an ancient book (presumably of spells)
which Chalmers has. As far as we know, the show has not been
picked up for the regular season, but that may change.
The pilot is scheduled to air in the United States
February 28. Check local listings.
UNCANNY X-MEN # 300 reportedly features the return of MAGNETO,
who was apparently recruiting "Acolytes" while he was
supposedly dead.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION : This week, "Aquiel," the
episode LeVar Burton mentioned, about Geordi falling in love
with an accused murderess. The week of February 6, "Face of
the Enemy," which spotlights Counselor Troi, who is kidnapped
from the Enterprise and turned into a Romulan. Then there's
"Tapestry," a tour of Picard's life. Other new episodes
coming: "Birthright," a two part crossover to Deep Space Nine
(or maybe not ...), about Worf's discovery that his disgraced
father may be alive, and "Starship Mine," (no plot details
yet).
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE: "Q-less": Q comes to the station
with Vash. It involves dreams which drive crew members to
steal an icon and take it through the wormhole. Our guess is
that it ties into the mystery brought up in the pilot. "Dax"
has her on trial for a crime supposedly committed in her last
host body. In "The Passenger," Dr. Bashir finds himself
entangled with a female security officer who has unknowingly
had the mind of the man she's looking for snuck into her body.
Upcoming episodes of HIGHLANDER will reportedly include a guest
appearance by Roland Gift (Fine Young Cannibals) and an episode
about Native American artifacts.
QUANTUM LEAP: The animated episode has been pushed back for
next year due to budget restraints, despite the fact that a
script has already been written. There will also be an Elvis
episode. What is this, Real People year? The second part of
the "Evil Leaper" story will be aired February 23, with NEIL
PATRICK HARRIS (Doogie Houser, MD) starring in one of the two
hours. March 2 is the Marylin Monroe episode, where Sam leaps
into her chauffeur and not only has to keep her from committing
suicide, he has to get her career back on track by making sure
she meets Clark Gable.
The letter writing campaign is in full swing because this
year's ratings aren't. The address to write to is:
Mr. Warren Littlefield
NBC-TV
3000 W. Alameda Ave.
Burbank, CA 91523
For tips on how to run a successful letter-writing campaign
see the interview with Bjo Trimble (--!7!--). One more tip in
this case. Don't write "Quantum Leap" on the envelope, or it
will go to the production company, not the people who need to
see it. It is also a good idea to write to the people who
sponsor the show and thank them for their support.
Advertisers remember that.
--!10!--
ADMINISTRIVIA
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There is also a hard copy version of CV, which includes photos,
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Also, we are DESPERATELY SEEKING CORRESPONDENTS. We can't
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We need people who can RELIABLY send us the news that turns up
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and regularly to the above electronic addresses.
--
CYBERSPACE VANGUARD MAGAZINE Editor: TJ Goldstein, tlg4@po.CWRU.Edu
News and Views from the Science Fiction Universe
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