Monthly Archives: January 2013

Sifting the Academy Awards Nominees

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Alan Arkin in Argo.

The Oscar nominees were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today, January 10. An sf/fandom news blog doesn’t really need any special justification to report a pop culture headline story of that type. Still, I do like to take up the challenge of tailoring the story to fit within the artificial boundaries of the field just the same.

So looking over the list of nominees I ask myself: How many of these pictures would fans feel are eligible for a Best Dramatic Presentation Hugo (long or short)?

Having read James Bacon’s review of the graphic adaptation of Tarantino’s script, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise if fans decided the movie Django Unchained belongs on the ballot, although I haven’t seen anyone recommend that just yet.

Argo, despite being more closely “based on a true story” than most Hollywood films ever get, takes its title from a fake movie production that’s central to the plot – ultimately derived from the individual efforts of Roger Zelazny and Jack Kirby – and brought to life onscreen in costume, dialog and art. Hugo voters have a long track record of nominating whatever they identify with and approve.

But somewhat paradoxically, I doubt that The Master’s connection with L. Ron Hubbard, whose life is believed to have informed the story, will be a sufficiently powerful recommendation for many Hugo voters to write it on their ballots. I haven’t seen it, but knowing now that it boasts three Oscar-nominated performances — Joaquin Phoenix (Best Actor), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Best Supporting Actor), Amy Adams (Best Supporting Actress) – the movie obviously has its fans.

Here’s what I came up with as Your SF/Fantasy Oscar Nominees:

Argo: Alan Arkin (Best Supporting Actor); also Best Picture, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

Brave: Animated Feature Film

Django Unchained: Christoph Waltz (Best Supporting Actor); also, Best Picture, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Writing (Original Screenplay)

Frankenweenie: Animated Feature Film

Marvel’s The Avengers: Visual Effects

Mirror, Mirror: Costume Design

ParaNorman: Animated Feature Film

Prometheus: Visual Effects

Snow White and the Huntsman: Costume Design, Visual Effects

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Makeup and Hairstyling, Production Design, Visual Effects

The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Animated Feature Film

Wreck-It Ralph: Animated Feature Film

I’ve only begged off analyzing the Short Film (Animated) category nominees — “Adam and Dog” Minkyu Lee; “Fresh Guacamole” PES; “Head over Heels” Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly; “Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”” David Silverman; and “Paperman” John Kahrs – because I have seen most of them and they’re all some kind of fantasy, and it sounds silly to argue that something isn’t quite the right flavor of fantasy for the Hugo ballot. That decision is best left to the wisdom of crowds.

2012 Dick Award Shortlist

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The seven finalists for the 2012 Philip K. Dick Award are:

  • Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan Boudinot (Black Cat)
  • Harmony by Keith Brooke (Solaris)
  • Helix Wars by Eric Brown (Solaris)
  • The Not Yet by Moira Crone (UNO Press)
  • Fountains of Age by Nancy Kress (Small Beer Press)
  • Lovestar by Andri Snær Magnason (Seven Stories Press)
  • Lost Everything by Brian Francis Slattery (Tor Books)

The conceit of dating an award by the eligibility year is always confusing, and in this case the Dick Award’s publicists are among the confused. The eligibility year is 2012 and the official press release has been given a consistent headline, “2012 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced”. However, visitors to the award website find the release about last year’s winner was captioned “2012 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced”, leaving the impression that someone has put the cart before the horse.  

The annual award goes to a distinguished science fiction paperback original published in the United States. It is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust

The 2012 judges are Bruce Bethke, Sydney Duncan, Daryl Gregory, Bridget McKenna, and Paul Witcover (chair).

This year’s winner will be announced on March 29 at Norwescon in SeaTac, Washington.

Theresa Derwin Enters TAFF Race

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Also running for TAFF is Theresa Derwin, whose website identifies her as an author of urban fantasy, sf and horror.

I took one last look at Facebook after posting about Mowatt and discovered a link to the other candidate.

Derwin says her candidacy is already the subject of controversy, as she has received an e-mail declaring it out of bounds (“you’re a professional, and TAFF is for fans”), and a query from someone else revealing it is under discussion in an unnamed fannish listserv.

Far be it from me to deprive our usual experts of the pleasure of smacking around holders of these parochial views but sure, TAFF has never been won by a pro except in the years when it was won by Ken Bulmer, Terry Carr, Eddie Jones, Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Dave Langford, and heaven knows how many more, depending on how “pro” you need your pro to be.

Out of the Starting Blocks

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The deadline to nominate for the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund was December 31 — the official slate of candidates and ballot ought to be along soon.

In the meantime, UK fan Jim Mowatt has pulled back the curtain on his “Jim for TAFF” campaign blog to let the world know he’s running. Jim has been one of TAFF’s leading promoters over the past few years, creating podcast interviews with the fans in the race. (Will Jim interview Jim?)

At the moment, this graphic is the centerpiece of Jim’s first post:

Vintage Mimosa

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Rich Lynch announces Mimosa #6 has been posted online, “a mere 24 years after its original publication:

There’s a lot of good writing on display, including the second of Sharon Farber’s “Tales of Adventure and Medical Life” series and Harry Warner, Jr.’s amazement about the contents of his late neighbor’s home in “The House on Summit Avenue”. For the fan historian there are two articles: Dave Kyle’s remembrance of the circumstances surrounding “The Great Exclusion Act of 1939” at the very first Worldcon, and a joint article (written as a one-act play) by Roger Sims and Howard Devore about “The Definitive Story of Numbered Fandoms”.

The real star of the issue, though, is Bruno Ogorelec’s “Great Jumping Grandmothers – A Cautionary Tale of Female Emancipation” which offers evidence that being a science fiction fan is heriditary, over several generations. There’s also a meaty letters column, including a long one from Mike Glicksohn (almost an article in itself) and a short note from Robert Bloch.

And besides all this, there’s even an article by me about my experiences in and observations about a small Kentucky place known as “Paradise”.

I think the issue still holds up well, after all these years. I hope you’ll find it an entertaining read.

James Bacon on All Media

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James Bacon had a busy December, reviewing comics and a stage play on Forbidden Planet and Comic Buzz. Here are the links he sent —

NYRSF Readings For 1/8

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Terry McGarry and Veronica Schanoes will kick off The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series in 2013 with a pair of weird tellings. The event begins at 7 p.m. on January 8.   

Terry McGarry, author of the Tor fantasy novels Illumination, The Binder’s Road, and Triad, who also has published short fiction in over 40 magazines and anthologies. She has been a freelance copyeditor since 1987, specializing in science fiction and fantasy, and she worked at The New Yorker magazine for 15 years. A New York City native, she has also been a bartender on Wall Street, an English major at Princeton, and a street trader in Ireland; she holds a third-level belt in Krav Maga and plays Irish traditional music at gigs and pub sessions in the city and on Long Island, where she currently lives. She’s on the web at terrymcgarry.com.

Veronica Schanoes’ short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons and Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, and she has a story forthcoming in Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling’s Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells. She also is an assistant professor of English at Queens College-CUNY who specializes in children’s literature and speculative fiction. Schanoes is particularly interested in children’s literature, women’s writing, and fantastic literature. Her publications include such intriguing topics as “Fearless Children and Fabulous Monsters: Lewis Carroll, Angela Carter, and Beastly Girls” (Marvels and Tales) and “Book as Mirror, Mirror as Book: The Significance of the Looking-glass in Contemporary Revisions of Fairy Tales” (Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts.)

The full press release follows the jump.

Continue reading →

Stu Shiffman Update 1/3

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There’s new progress in Stu Shiffman’s recovery from the stroke he had in June. Despite a setback near the end of 2012 that required treatment in the Neurological ICU at HarborviewMedicalCenter, Tom Whitmore reports at CaringBridge he’s now back at Seattle Medical and Rehabilitation:

He’s in the same room, and they even left his drawings up on the walls. It’s definitely the right place for him, and he’s been doing so well that they’re going to increase the time he spends doing therapy, and work toward more abilities. Andi’s really pleased with the staff and the care there — they are always willing to take the time to give her a full explanation of what’s going on.

The ground that Stu had lost with the difficulty with the shunt (which is why he went back to Harborview) has all been regained. All the medical people are very impressed with how much he’s gained over the last month or so.

It’s a pleasure to hear that Stu is gaining ground.

Clarke Wins Van Vogt Award

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Alphanauts by Brian J. Clarke (Edge) has won the inaugural A.E. Van Vogt Award.

Presented by the Winnipeg Science Fiction Association, the award comes with a $1200 honorarium, the largest in Canadian sf.

The Van Vogt Award is given in recognition of a first-edition, full-length sf novel or full-length sf short story anthology written by an author linked to Western Canada by birth or residency.

[Thanks to John Mansfield for the story.]

Asimov’s Birthday

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Isaac Asimov would have been 93 today had he lived. Foundation’s author passed away April 6, 1992 – the first of science fiction’s ABCs (Asimov, Bradbury and Clarke) to go.

Fortunately, his memory is yet green. He was featured on Science Channel’s Prophets of Science Fiction series in 2012.

Also, in 2012 Jamie Todd Rubin made some intriguing guesses about what Asimov would have done had he lived another 20 years.

And especially worth reading today is Michael A. Burstein’s superlative memoir ”Asimov and Me”, written for Mimosa, which is framed around their several meetings.

I also remember one other thing I told him at the book fair, and this is what ties into the above discussion of my diary. I mentioned how much I was enjoying his two volume autobiography, In Memory Yet Green and In Joy Still Felt. I had been reading them all summer, and I finished them in November. Now, perhaps Dracula had started my journal, but it was Asimov’s autobiography that kept it going. I read about how he started a diary when he turned 18 years old, and because of his diary he was able to write his autobiography in such detail. I decided that my diary might one day be just as valuable a resource to me, and I resolved to keep it with more regularity. Since late 1984, I have managed to keep my diary religiously. In fact, it is because of this diary, inspired by Asimov, that I am able to relate my interactions with him so accurately.

If you’re feeling sufficiently nostalgic you may view online the 1940 phone book listing for Asimov Candy Store, where he once worked for his father Judah Asimov. Or drill down to the family info in the 1940 Census –Ed Seiler says you’ll find them listed in Election District 14-1387, King’s County, Track 169, Block I, on sheet 4A.

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian for the reminder.]