(1) Arthur C. Clarke’s papers came to the Smithsonian Institution earlier this year. Patti Williams, acquisition archivist for the National Air and Space Museum, blogged about the steps in bringing the materials from Sri Lanka to the U.S.
I have been the Museum’s acquisition archivist for almost 26 years, and during that time over 3,200 archival collections have been entrusted to us. Most of these materials have been personally delivered or shipped, but it has sometimes been necessary for me to travel to obtain a collection, whether to California, New York, or South Dakota. Sri Lanka has certainly been the furthest I’ve travelled for a collection.
Martin Collins, a curator for the Space History Department, gave an overview of what’s in Clarke’s papers, accompanied by many photos.
What emerges from a first review of his papers is a deeply thoughtful man shaped by and creatively responding to his time—with World War II and the first decades of the Cold War as critically formative. From his early 20s through the rest of life he possessed a remarkably consistent vision and purpose of what was important to him: to make sense of a world experiencing tremendous advances in science and technology, the result of which, in his view, augured potentially radical changes in the fabric of social and cultural life. In the years after the war, this dynamic seemed especially insistent, making the idea and reality of the “future” a critical problem in need of understanding. Through his career, this challenge led Clarke to advance his three laws of prediction (easily found via an internet search), an attempt to make serious the future as a shared, collective human concern but do so with a light touch.
From this vantage, Clarke’s interest in science fiction, as is evident throughout his papers, was not merely incidental but central: It was his essential tool, perhaps the best one, for sorting through and understanding this condition and educating readers about the time in which they were living.
(2) In a podcast for Creature Features, Walter Murch, writer and director of Return to Oz, “discusses the long genesis of the 1985 fantasy film, how personal a project it was for him, how tumultuous it became at times, and how happy he is with it after 30 years.”
Soundcloud – Pod People Episode 4 – Walter Murch
(3) The PBS documentary about cosplay aired in 2013 can be viewed online.
(4) The Golden Age Site’s post about “New York Comic Book Conventions ~ 1966-1978 ~ The good old days when Comic Shows were about comics” shows many many fans in those days were involved in both comics and sf, inspiring Andrew Porter to comment, “Gosh, there’s my name at the top, along with a bunch of [now] old pharts!”
I also ran off the program — about 250 copies of a single page, as I recall — for Dave Kaler’s NY Comic Convention, held in 1965 at the Hotel Broadway Central (an impressive pile in Theodore Dreiser’s “Sister Carrie”) on my Ditto machine.
(5) The University of Oregon Libraries will celebrate the acquisition of the James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon) literary papers with a two-day symposium at the Eugene, Oregon campus on December 4-5, 2015.
The acquisition of the Tiptree Papers enriches Special Collections and University Archives’ growing collection of feminist science fiction manuscript collections, which include the Ursula K. Le Guin Papers, the Joanna Russ Papers, the Sally Miller Gearhart Papers, and the Suzette Haden Elgin Papers.
The symposium will kick off with a keynote talk by Julie Phillips, author of the biography: James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice Sheldon (St. Martins, 2006), and will also feature a panel discussion with other writers who carried on lively and engaging correspondence with Tiptree, including Ursula K. Le Guin, Suzy McKee Charnas and David Gerrold.
(6) Emily Hughes conducts “Updraft: A Q&A with Fran Wilde” at Suvudu.
SUVUDU: Updraft has some of the most original worldbuilding I’ve ever come across – could you tell us a little bit about your process for creating the details of this city built out of bone towers and its residents?
FRAN WILDE: That’s wonderful to hear! The city of bone towers was born late one night at a writing workshop following many cups of coffee. I realized that I wanted to write a story set in a living city with a focus on engineering and flight. (I wasn’t drinking Red Bull, I swear.)
What emerged from that writing session was a short story that had elements of Milton’s Paradise Lost, The Codex Seraphinianus, China Mieville’s short stories about living cities in Looking for Jake, and Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities as ancestors. The story contained the man-made wings, bridges, and bone towers that exist today, but the characters and conflict were different. After reading it, Gordon Van Gelder of Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine wrote me to suggest I look at other high-altitude megastructure stories like Steven Gould’s “Peaches for Mad Molly” and K.W. Jeter’s Farewell Horizontal as well.
So my process from the first draft involved a lot of reading. In the end, when the short story had grown into a novel, and the very spare sketch of bone towers and wings had grown into a world, the process also involved getting into a wind tunnel to go indoor skydiving, and talking to cloud and weather experts about wind shear near steep, high-altitude objects, and to biologists about bone growth. I also researched scarcity societies, high-altitude food production, and cephalopods, among other things.
(7) John Plotz recalls A Wizard of Earthsea in “Le Guin’s Anarchist Aesthetics” on Public Books.
Le Guin’s peculiar gift, though, is to make the ordinary feel as important as the epic: mundane questions about who’s cutting firewood or doing the dishes share space with rune books and miscast spells. Her Earthsea has less in common with Narnia, Hogwarts, and Percy Jackson’s Camp Half-Blood than it does with medieval romances and Icelandic sagas, where dragons and death keep company with fishing yarns, goat-herding woes, and village quarrels.
Plotz also interviewed Le Guin for Public Books in June.
JP: And has it always been clear to you which category your books fall into?
UL: Oh no. When I started it was all mushed up together! My first three novels are kind of science fantasy. Rocannon’s World (1966) is full of Norse myth barely disguised. But I began to realize there was a real difference between these two ways of using the imagination. So I wrote Earthsea and Left Hand of Darkness. From then on I was following two paths.
In Left Hand of Darkness I was using science fiction to come at a problem that I realized was very deep in me and everybody else: what is gender? What gender am I? A question we just hadn’t been asking. Look at all the answers that are coming out now. We have really deconstructed it. We really didn’t even have the word “gender” back then. Just, “What sex are you?” So in some respects we really have come a long way, and in a good direction, I think.
(8) Gregory N. Hullender says, “No one seems to have commented on it yet, but I think the December 2015 Analog is unusually strong. After a really weak year, maybe they’re getting their act together.” He has more to say on Reddit.
(9) Irish children’s laureate Eoin Colfer (“Artemis Fowl”) and illustrator and writer Oliver Jeffers have joined forces to create an imaginary friend.
They decided to collaborate on ‘Imaginary Fred’ due to a chance meeting in New Zealand.
“We were there for the Auckland book festival and we met up at a story slam competition,” Mr Colfer said.
“We were giggling like schoolboys at each other’s stories, and at the end of the night we said let’s do something together.”
‘Imaginary Fred’ tells the story of Fred, who becomes the imaginary friend of Sam, a boy in need of company.
The two embark on a series of adventures together, but when Sam meets Sammi, a girl with an imaginary friend of her own, Fred has to move on from Sam.
The story, unusually, is told from Imaginary Fred’s point of view.
“I like to do that with my books,” said Mr Colfer.
“To take what is often a secondary character and make them the main character because they’re a lot more interesting to me.”
(10) An event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Marion E. Wade Center on October 29 at 7 pm Central time will be livestreamed. The Wade is a focal point of Inklings scholarship. Featured speakers will include the Wade’s former director, Dr. Lyle W. Dorsett, poet Luci Shaw, and Dr. Leland Ryken, who is currently at work on a book length history of the Wade Center. The dedication of the new Bakke Auditorium will be part of this special evening. Watch the proceedings online via WETN.
(11) Bradbury-inspired art! Vroman’s Art on the Stairwall presents George Cwirko-Godycki on November 14 at 2 p.m. at the main store in Pasadena.
Join us as we celebrate our newest Artist on the Stairwell! Illustrator George Cwirko-Godycki presents a limited edition poster show inspired by the works of Ray Bradbury. The show is the first in Vroman’s Artists on Authors series in the stairwell where visionary artists interpret the works of renowned authors. The first 25 attendees will receive a signed catalog of the exhibition that details the process of creating this unique show from start to finish. George is based in San Francisco where he provides concept illustration for the entertainment industry and teaches figure drawing at the Academy of Art University.
(12) Frequent File 770 contributor James H. Burns’ writes about the Tri-State losing a major supermarket chain, Pathmark, in a piece for the Long Island Press.
Ultimately, the neatest feature at Pathmark for a youngster may have been a huge paperback section featuring an amazing array of bestsellers and non-fiction books. Pathmark was where I bought some of my very first books on the history of movies, including, in my monster-loving youth, a biography of Boris Karloff!
From its inception in Franklin Square, Pathmark had tried to be unique. At the back of the store was a section invoking the classic Horn and Hardart cafeterias in Manhattan, famous for all the food, sandwiches and cakes and the like, being offered through slots in the wall protected by a glass cover. If you put coins in the apparatus, you could lift the cover and take your treat. Horn and Hardart was famous for the quality of its offerings, and for being a very affordable place for any New Yorker to put together a decent meal. More than one location also became known as a writers’ hangout, with some of the best-known reporters and talent of the era sitting for a long while, sipping their coffee, and enjoying the conversation.
Beginning in the 1970s, Pathmark also had a long running series of television commercials, starring James Karen. Most of us probably presumed he was a Pathmark executive, until he also began popping up as an actor in horror movies like “Poltergeist” and “The Return of the Living Dead.”
(13) Pee Wee Herman’s blog features a gallery of photos of work by the “’Picasso of Pumpkin Carving’ Ray Villafane”.
Until October 31st, the town of Carefree, Arizona is hosting the Enchanted Pumpkin Garden, a one-of-a-kind event conceived by master pumpkin carver Ray Villafane! The Wall Street Journal calls him the “Picasso of pumpkin carving.”
(14) Ray Bradbury is all over the place in this documentary about Charlie Chaplin, first at the 40 second mark
(15) The Nitrate Diva links to “Fear You Can Hear: 31 of the Scariest old Time Radio Episodes for Halloween”
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but, when it comes to the best old-time radio horror, each word is worth a thousand pictures.
By using voices, sound effects, and snippets of music, masters of radio terror turned what could’ve been a disadvantage of the medium—we can’t see what’s happening—into their greatest asset.
Radio writers and actors spawned monsters that the technology of the time couldn’t have realistically portrayed on film. They suggested depravity and gore that screen censorship would’ve banned. And they could manipulate the imagination so that listeners themselves collaborated in the summoning of their worst fears.
In case you can’t tell, I adore old-time ratio (OTR) horror. After countless hours poring over archives of old shows, I’ve selected 31 bloodcurdling episodes, from 1934 all the way up to 1979, for your pleasure.
(16) Oh noes! “William Shatner Isn’t a Huge Fan of the New ‘Star Wars’ Trailer”.
Millions of Star Wars fans may have eagerly devoured the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, due out on December 18, but William Shatner—captain of the starship Enterprise and star of the original Star Trek series—wasn’t among them. “To me there isn’t a controversy,” the actor tells Newsweek. “Star Trek is far superior to Star Wars.”
(17) Would Dr. Sheldon Cooper agree? He certainly has plenty of reason to be happy with Star Trek.
Fans of The Big Bang Theory and Star Trek can rejoice because an upcoming episode the geektastic TV sitcom will feature a guest appearance from the son of Mr. Spock himself, Adam Nimoy! Plus, we have an exclusive first look at the episode, which airs on Thurs., Nov. 5 at 8/7! In “The Spock Resonance,” recurring guest star Wil Wheaton will appear alongside Adam, an accomplished writer and director in real life, who asks Sheldon Cooper to be in a documentary about his beloved father, Leonard.
(18) Natalie Luhrs has a terrific post about “World Fantasy’s Harassment Non-Policy” at Pretty Terrible.
The final progress report from World Fantasy was emailed to members this evening. It included the harassment policy, which is legalistic and is essentially useless. For posterity, here it is…
[Thanks to Bill Menker, Michael J. Walsh, Andrew Porter, Bill Burns, James H. Burns, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Jack Lint.]
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@James “…Marissa Amber Flores Picard…”
Just googled that. Holy gods.
ST fanfic, keep on keepin’ on
> “As a lesbian novel? Absafragadamnlutely.”
Well, lesbian romance, which isn’t quite the same thing; that was really the question. But I’ve already decided it’s in, classified under “SFF With Strong Lesbian Romantic Elements (Books where a romance plot is an important story element for one or more main characters, but not one of the key driving plot elements)”. Which is actually my largest current section, with books by 13 different authors.
@ Kyra
re: Hugo criteria
::clap-clap-clap-clap-clappity clap::
I may have to start a book of Kyraisms instead of just framing 2 or 3. :^}
@ McJulie
re:Hugo criteria.
Totally agree that it’s nearly impossible to pin down or make a list for what I think is Hugo worthy. I can read or watch something and think that it ticks all my marks for quality, plot, etc. but it still doesn’t feel Hugo. Of course, that ‘feel’ is different for different people.
LunarG on October 27, 2015 at 6:05 pm said:
This. Absolutely. As I said in a recent discussion about SF vs. Fantasy, if you try to define rigid genre boundaries, then authors (especially good authors) will take it as a challenge, and try to walk right along the edge of those boundaries. Authors don’t generally like being hemmed in or restricted.
If the Hugos had been limited to science fiction, I imagine that the wars over whether Lord of Light qualified (to name but one example) would still be being fought to this day! (I’m still convinced that Zelazny wrote that and Creatures of Light and Darkness, at least in part, to confound people who argued about whether SF was better than fantasy or vice versa.)
Hugo-worthy: I knows it when I sees it. There has to be a “wow” either in form or plot or character. Edge cases are fine. It has to tickle my brainmeats.
WFC can just go live in their blanket fort. The cops aren’t going to be interested AT ALL. The hotel for sure doesn’t wanna come to the attention of the police, the victim likely doesn’t (especially if they’re PoC). Cops barely care when a literal bad guy jumps out of the bushes and rapes a blonde virgin; they certainly aren’t going to care about “some nerd groped another nerd”. The DA isn’t going to file when victim and perp both live out of the state — too much money for “not our constituents”, and not a slam-dunk conviction.
Private events can throw anyone out for just about any reason. Ever look at the back of a concert ticket? (or the fine print if it’s the e-version) The venue can toss you out for any reason save your race or religion, and maybe gender. Put up a Code of Conduct and you’re good.
WFC: you are wimpy losers. I do not rule out the possibility of your maternal ancestor being Cricetinae and your paternal one being scented with Sambucus.
@lurkertype:
And their fancy cup’s a fake, too! 😀
My criteria for the Hugo nominations – did I love it? If yes, probably on the longlist. I’m probably going to have some narrowing down to do (I hope) based on more complicated criteria, but that’s the one I’m going with at the moment.
@Kyra
By ‘depictions’ do you mean they get mentioned but not detailed, or that the mindset is at some point front-and-centre? Because mentioned I can handle, accurate mindset I can’t. (In the literal, I will actually get triggered sense rather than just not liking it very much.)
PS. Your Mary Sue criteria was ace.
@Eli
I nodded along to everything you said about The IT Crowd.
Didn’t “Acres of Perhaps” have travel between alternate histories/dimensions? I don’t recall the story all that well, but I’m pretty sure I remember there being a fantastic element in the narrative. It wasn’t just a mainstream story about a “Twilight Zone” expy.
Silly But True:
You are missing the point. An anti-harassment policy is not there for punishing the evil-doer. It is there for protecting the visitors. A policy that enables a convention to throw somebody out before they do something that would be a legal crime would create a much safer space for everyone.
Hmm, I read More Than This by Patrick Ness and was genuinely unimpressed by the whole thing. Is there a better book I should try to read by him? My only triggers are terrible writing so I’m good with anything he could throw at me.
Same with Tom Holt. He falls into my “maybe if I ever get to the bottom of my TBR I’ll pick up another one” category right now. Is there a book he has that could change my mind? (Note: I like what I’ve read of him as K.J. Parker)
@Eli: Yep! I feel like The IT Crowd (and Linehan’s shows in general) is just the background weirdness of life dialled up to 11. It doesn’t feel targeted at any group in particular, to me at least.
@Oneiros
The Knife of Never Letting Go (and sequels) for Patrick Ness. A Monster Calls is also supposed to be very good (it won the Carnegie; so did one of Knife’s sequels) but I haven’t read that one yet. The former is science fiction and the latter is low fantasy, if flavour of genre comes into it for you.
I haven’t read much Tom Holt but I enjoyed Snow White and the Seven Samurai. Bigger fans might have better suggestions!
@Oneiros: (Holt suggestions)
Hrm. Depends, to me, on whether you prefer standalone books or series stuff – and his series work is pretty good about standing on its own.
The Portable Door kicks off a modern fantasy series, and Doughnut starts a more SF-ish series that ends up exploring the implications of fairy-tale worldbuilding. Both involve some commentary on modern life, and both get weird with magic, but the Doughnut books pretend there’s some sciencey stuff at the bottom of the well.
The standalone stuff is older, and I usually recommend Flying Dutch as a handy starting point. Everyone’s heard of the Flying Dutchman, so this is an easier place to start than, say, Expecting Someone Taller and its riffs on the Ring cycle.
Ace comment on Whatever by an actual lawyer.
Especially this bit:
> “By ‘depictions’ do you mean they get mentioned but not detailed, or that the mindset is at some point front-and-centre?”
The first person narrator suffers from OCD and it’s pretty front-and-center.
His sister is an ex-anorexic and her history and lingering problems are described but not in what I would consider triggery detail (and I am an ex-anorexic, for whatever that’s worth, although I don’t think I’m easily triggered these days.)
> “Is there a better book I should try to read by him? My only triggers are terrible writing so I’m good with anything he could throw at me.”
The Knife of Never Letting Go, and its sequels. More Than This is not even close to his best work.
@Kyra
Hmm. Might be alright, then, but I’ll approach with caution. Thanks!
*gvpxl obk*
Regarding BBT vs. IT Crowd, I’m in agreement that BBT is (generally, but not always) terrible and the IT Crowd is (generally, but with some major exceptions) excellent.
I watched a few seasons of BBT. It was okay for a while, despite annoying stereotypes regarding all of the major characters. After a while, though, it was obvious that the humor was almost entirely about mocking the characters via whatever stereotype they matched. The dumb blonde, the emotionless physicist, the nerdy physicist, the other nerdy physicist, the Other nerdy physicist… When Bialik came on the show, it saved it for a little while, but she could only do so much.
IT Crowd has some annoying stereotyping issues, but as the show went on it got better and better to me, I think because all of the actors played their characters very well. Everyone in the show is maladjusted and weird, whether they are nerds or not. There are a few episodes where they explicitly show that Jen is treating the other two guys as nerds to be shunned, but she’s actually not at all “normal.” Nobody on that show is depicted as normal.
Also, I am a sys admin and worked tech support before that. As someone who would lie under his desk in despair with his eyes closed and a headset on, walking customers through their network settings, I can relate to the work environment and their disgruntledness.
Oh, also, Sunshine is on sale at Amazon right now, Kindle-wise, for $1.99.
Sunshine is also on sale at Barnes & Noble Nook, along with Rose-Daughter (which won’t read the same after Bryony and Roses)
@emgrasso – I like to think they’re at least complementary (or if not, that I’m very complimentary about it!)
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)
Woohoo! I can vote on one!
7: Wild Wild West wipes the floor with Enterprise.
Rather like these fine, hand-folded, gluten-free forehead cloths wipe the perspiration off fraught brows! Get one for brow-cooling, and another for brow-wiping! Isn’t YOUR forehead worth it?
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Abstain
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess
4 & 5: Abstain
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Abstain
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Arggh! Aeryn Sun vs. Kathryn Janeway and B’Elanna Torres? Forehead cloths, please!
(whimper)
Farscape by a puppet’s nose.
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Space. The final frontier.
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
She travels with a poet who is perky and parthenian
And scribbles her hexameters in Linear Mycenian!
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
The story of one American’s descent into Australia’s BDSM scene.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Abstain
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Ouch, I need my first head cloth. Uh…. The queen regent or the queen of thorns… I’m giving it to Cerci Lannister over Olenna Tyrell.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape
Trailing Region – Round One
1. Star Trek: The Original Series
2. abstain
3. Xena: Warrior Princess
4. Quantum Leap
5. abstain
6. The Avengers
7. Wild Wild West
8. Star Trek Voyager
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)True Blood badly jumped the shark its last season; I stopped watching it entirely.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)Mrs. Peel, we’re needed.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)This one’s difficult, but I have to go with that hunky, hunky Artemis Gordon…
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)Of all the STs, I liked Voyager least. “And then the holodeck goes rogue. Again.” Really, they should have just hung an out-of-order sign on the damned thing.
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
True Blood started strong but flew off the rails and ended badly. Some episodes of ST:TOS hold up surprisingly well (although the effects often do not).
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Life on Mars (9)
I’m assuming this is the original British version, which was pretty freaky.
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Aiiaiaiaiaiaiaiiaiiaiii! [Chakram ricochets four times, kills four scientists from Doomwatch, the end]
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
The Middleman (13)
I think this is going to be a tough match, but The Middleman is the show with the biggest heart in all the brackets. I simply adore this show’s mix of sweet and weird.
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Loved L&C at the time, but Blake’s 7 is just brutally great. Or greatly brutal. One of those.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
Ultimately, newer style beats older style, I guess.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
I liked Enterprise. I even grew to like the theme song. I think it was cancelled just as it was getting good (and that finale was a real kick in the teeth).
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Farscape was frelling great: loopy, challenging, weirdo fun. Voyager had potential but never got there.
Trailing Region – Round One
1. … Yeah, that’s not a contest. I, must vote, for Captain, James, T., Kirk. TOS.
2. Life on Mars. The UK one.
3. Lucy Lawless’s middle name should start with an ‘f’ so she can be Lucy F.Lawless. Xena.
4. abstain.
5. ehhh… both good for their times. Abstain.
6. Summer Glau and Lena Hedy, with McCreary doing the music. How can you not. Terminator Colon The Long Title Chronicles.
7. … No. Abstain.
8. Farscape.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
I haven’t watched True Blood, but by conscious choice; I tried the books it’s based on and was unimpressed. In some cases, not watching is nothing but chance. This was not one of them.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
I was amused when I realized how closely this hewed to the Babylon 5 quality scale. (Season 1 starts bumpy, with just enough good stuff to keep watching, but finds its feet in time to set up a heck of a finale. Seasons 2 &3 are excellent as a whole but have the occasional bad episode, Season 4 has some amazing bits but rushes plotlines it should examine and examines plotlines it should rush. Season 5 takes a major turn from the story and characters prior which is alienating, and seems weaker and less well-planned, but has enough moments, just, to push on to the end.Also, some kickass women who save themselves.)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
The Middleman (13)
This remains sharply clever comfort watching. I liked Quantum Leap but never felt the urge o own it and curl up with it when sick.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
So James West is Jim Kirk in another setting. It was fun anyhow.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
No contest.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)
No contest either. I loved Life on Mars and bounced hard off Fringe.
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)
Surprisingly difficult, but I’ll go with Xena, especially since I have seen very little of Doomwatch.
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)
Again no contest.
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)
Again surprisingly difficult. But Lois and Clark was fun, while Blake’s 7 had that depressing ending.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
No contest at all.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
I have very limited memories of Wild Wild West, so Enterprise it is, even though Enterprise had more than its share of flaws.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)
Again surprisingly difficult, since both have issues. But approx. 15 years later, my memories of Farscape are more vivid, so Farscape it is.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series
Oh come on. This isn’t even close.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Life on Mars
Time travel. The 1970s. What’s not to love?
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess
I might be voting for this mostly for Renee O’Connor.
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap
This show was often nonsensical, but it had its moments.
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7
This one isn’t even close.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West
The weakest Star Trek loses to Old West gadgetry.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape
Crichton and Aeryn will always be one of the great science fiction romances.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)Yeah, just no.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)Life on Mars (9)
For once I’m actually voting against the one I picked in my bracket. But Fringe got a Hugo nom and Life on Mars never did….
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)I fell asleep on ST:E halfway through the pilot, and I’m guessing other people did too.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)1. Star Trek
2-7. Abstain, because I’ve seen none of those except Lois & Clark
8. Farscape, which actually I haven’t seen either, but even so I’m sure it’s better than Voyager
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
I assume this was the UK Life on Mars, which was fantastic. Even so giving it to Fringe. Just spectacular.
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
The Middleman (13)
Loved, QL as wll, but….I blame the Suck Fairy for this.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
ie the Best Terminator EVER.
Petréa Mitchell: Farscape, which actually I haven’t seen either, but even so I’m sure it’s better than Voyager
Enterprise always had its plotting issues, but the cheesy lame excuses the writers used to put Trip and T’Pol into soft pr0n scenes were when it finally jumped the shark for me.
The first season or two, with Neelix and 2-year-old Kes, and the late-series failed attempt to appeal to teenagers were, I thought, the biggest problems with Voyager.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Even with Spock’s Brain.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT (they make a series out of High Castle, but not this. there is no justice)
Life on Mars (9)
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
If it were The New Avengers, it might be close.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
If this was DS9 it would be close.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Against the least of Trek ? No contest.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
Spock might’ve been my first TV boyfriend. Not sure if he or Ilya Kuryakin came first.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)
I found Life on Mars strangely non-compelling, while Fringe really had me hooked.
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)
No opinion. Did not watch either.
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)
Quantum Leap all the way. I am I, Don Quixote, the lord of La Mancha. My destiny calls and I go… Seriously, for the Man of La Mancha episode alone. And Al. And Ziggy.
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)
No opinion.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
Emma Peel is everything.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
Enterprise was lame, yes, but I have leftover good will for Scott Bakula from Quantum Leap and I still hate Robert Conrad’s battery commercials from the 70s.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)
I also love Kate Mulgrew because of Ryan’s Hope. I can’t believe it myself, but I have pretty much voted the straight ST ticket. I am surprised by this. But when I match them up to their competitors, I gotta go with the Treks.
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
I’ve only watched a couple episodes of Trueblood (IIRC), but this isn’t really a contest, is it?
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)
abstain
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)
AI-YI-YI-YI-YI!!!!
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)
abstain, though I think I may have watched at least one ep of QL
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)
I first encountered Blake’s 7 in 1981 when I was spending a couple months in the UK for…well, it’s a very long and complicated story and involves my first true experience with just how dysfunctional a household can be. I was only able to watch a few fragmentary episodes when my hostess was absent from the house. I had no idea what was going on, but I was hooked. I’m still not certain I’ve seen the whole thing, despite following it on PBS. I should remedy that sometime.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
Not really fair of me, since I don’t think I’ve actually watched any SCC, but what the heck.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
Nothing particularly wrong with Enterprise, but WWW was just…more inventive.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)
Pretty much the same reason as for #7. The ST franchise may still have been as good as if ever was at this point, but it was no longer ground-breakingly stunning.
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Life on Mars (9)
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Score so far: 13 (of 16 possible)
Sweet 16 Eliminated: Still Only One
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Lois and Clark (14)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Even more shows I’ve not seen!
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Life on Mars (9)
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Doomwatch (12)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Star Trek Voyager (15)
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
True Blood is the rare television adaptation that I prefer to the source novels – the ensemble really works better for me than the focus in Sookie, who I do not find entirely sympathetic. Still, it is fluff, and nowhere near so groundbreaking as TOS.
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Abstain from ignorance.
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
Voting for Quantum Leap in large part because I thought it ended perfectly. I know this is not an uncontroversial opinion.
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Lois and Clark (14)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
Abstaining from shameful ignorance.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Abstaining from self-satisfied ignorance.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Not particularly a fan of either, but Farscape was more creative and ambitious.
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
This is going to be so much of a landslide, probably, that I almost wanna vote for the underdog, but…nah, I had a total crush on Spock as a teenager. Gotta go with first love. 🙂
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)
Abstain
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)
Abstain
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
Lois and Clark (14)
Abstain
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
Sarah’s pretty kick-ass, but I gotta go with Mrs. Peel. She was a role model for a younger me.
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
Abstain
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)
Abstain
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Fringe (8)
Life on Mars (9)
abstain
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Doomwatch (12)
abstain
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Quantum Leap (4)
The Middleman (13)
abstain
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Wild Wild West (7)
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
Vampires against Space Opera? Vampires will always win.
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (11)
For the outfits.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Trailing Region – Round One
1. PON FARR AND FANGBANGERS IS THE NAME OF MY NEXT BAND
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Trueblood (16)
Hmm tough one. I like both of these but I’m not in love with either of them. TIE!
2. TIME OUT OF JOINT
Life on Mars (9)
Argh. This one was hard. The first season was so solid though and Fringe doesn’t quite manage that level of consistency.
3. SCIENCE VS. FANTASY DEATHMATCH GO!
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
I haven’t seen Doomwatch but at its best Xena is absolutely good enough to vote for anyway.
4. SOMEONE GOES ON A JOURNEY. A STRANGER COMES TO TOWN.
Abstain. I like Quantum Leap, but not enough to vote for it against something I haven’t seen.
5. I’M NOT SAYING IT WAS ALIENS. BUT IT WAS ALIENS.
Blake’s 7 (3)
This one is just mean. I adored Lois & Clark growing up and against almost any other show… But I love Blake’s 7 more. Lois & Clark isn’t I-got-my-DVDs-signed love, you know?
6. FEMMES FATALES AND JUST GENERALLY FATALES
The Avengers (6)
I like Sarah Connor Chronicles, but not enough to vote it over The Avengers. How many shows could have an eye test that involves identifying gentleman’s hats?
7. RETURN WITH US NOW TO THOSE THRILLING DAYS OF (RELATIVE) YESTERYEAR
Star Trek Enterprise (10)
Despite never, ever growing to love the theme song (so cheesy!), I thought this one was actually kinda under-rated. 🙂 The first series was a bit shaky but once it hit its stride I think it did pretty well.
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
I will always vote for Farscape.
No, really, I don’t think there’s a single show in the whole bracket I’d vote for over Farscape, although I am not pleased it ended up in the same region as Blake’s 7. Actually, this region in general is rather hard on me! I would have liked to have voted for Voyager – and a bunch of the other ones I didn’t vote for in this round – at least once. The last two regions were much easier choices.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Trailing Region – Round One
8. WHAT’S SPACE OPERA, DOC?
Farscape (2)
Star Trek Voyager (15)