(1) Rob Cottingham’s “Ancillary Stapler” at Medium.com is highly recommended.
I am lost in thought when Coffeemaker speaks to me, timidly, to say she is almost empty.
Not the emptiness of a depleted urn; it is still half full. No, this is the emptiness that strikes at Coffeemaker’s soul: there are no beans in her hopper. When Coffeemaker dreams, this is how her nightmares end.
Marketing Six checks the bean level regularly, even though that isn’t in her job description, but Marketing Six isn’t here this morning, is she? Off sick. I reach out, and find her iPhone’s location coordinates.
“Address Book, where does Marketing Six live?” I ask silently.
“Not at a Starbucks in Eastgate Square Shopping Mall,” she says. I didn’t know Address Book could be wry.
(2) A previously unsuspected musical subgenre – Vulcabilly.
(3) Prowse Still Grumpy, Film at 11.
The original Darth Vader actor, asked about his interest Star Wars: The Force Awakens, told the Guardian:
“It depends,” he said. “It depends if I’m playing the part of Darth Vader in it … Yes – then I’d be very interested. But if they’re putting somebody else in Darth Vader’s mask, then I’m not the slightest bit interested.”
(4) At SF Signal – “SF/F Crowdfunding Roundup: Familiar, ZILF!, Spanish Women of Wonder”.
(5) It will be even harder to be a “dirt farmer” on Mars. Jim Bell, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University, will discuss how hard in a lecture titled “Soils of Mars: Keys to Understanding the Habitability of the Red Planet” at the Soil Science Society of America’s annual meeting on November 18.
(6) The “Journey To Space” exhibition opened today at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.
Of the more than 7 billion people on Earth, less than 600 have ever left our home planet to experience the beauty, wonder, and danger of space.
Now it’s your turn….
In the harsh, airless environment of space, peril is everywhere. Meteoroids soar by at speeds that can make them deadly to astronauts. Temperature fluctuates from burning hot to unbearably cold. It’s up to scientists to develop the technology that keeps astronauts safe. Journey to Space: The Exhibition’s hands-on exhibits and immersive experiences give you a chance to not only see that amazing technology (including Neil Armstrong’s glove), but to try handling some of the challenges of space travel yourself.
Take a turn managing the energy of a simulated orbiting space station, operate a robotic arm, and find out how astronauts eat, sleep, and even go to the bathroom in space. See if you have “the right stuff” to deal with the disorienting environment of zero gravity as you step into a rotating chamber, inspired by the International Space Station’s Destiny Module, and feel what it’s like to be in a place where there is no up and no down. Designed with the help of astronauts and space scientists, Journey to Space: The Exhibition will inspire the astronaut, engineer and scientist in all of us.
(7) Juliet McKenna appeals for donations to the GoFundMe benefitting Rochita Loenen Ruiz —
Rochita Loenen Ruiz is a brave, generous and talented author and all round lovely person. She has suddenly, tragically lost her beloved husband, the father of her two young children, to an ultimately fatal heart attack.
We cannot comprehend her bereavement. But we can understand the practical challenges she and her family will face in the next little while. That at least is something we can help with.
A fundraising campaign has been set up by her closest friends via GoFundMe
As you will see on clicking through, an array of writers and publishers are offering rewards by way of thanks to those offering their support.
(8) Tom Knighton applauds Wil Wheaton’s refusal to let HuffPo post his stuff gratis.
Wheaton declined because he didn’t figure he needed the exposure. Frankly, I’m proud of him.
Any kind of creative type gets these “offers” all the time. Someone likes what you’re doing. They like it so much they want to utilize it in some way, either have your band play in their bar or run your blog post or something. “What do you pay?” you ask.
“Oh, we just pay in exposure,” they reply.
My reply? “Son, people die from exposure.”
Huffington Post is one of the biggest news websites out there. They can afford to pay for content. Yet they don’t. You know why? Because people will give it to them for free.
(9) Melinda Snodgrass will be executive producer overseeing the writing of Star Trek: Renegades.
Okay, so now I can talk about the work I’ll be doing for Star Trek: Renegades. As many of you probably know there has been a tradition of fans of the show making their own episodes and putting them up on-line. They range in quality, but some are produced by people in “the Industry” as we call it. Renegades is one of those.
I was approached by executive producer Sky Conway and asked if I would come on board. I said I would have to look at the pilot they had produced and also that they had to be a WGA signatory. I don’t work outside of my guild. I then went and watched Renegades and was very impressed.
A Kickstarter to fund production of Star Trek: Renegades episodes 2 and 3 is in progress. So far they have raised $100,535 of their $350,000 goal.
(10) If Alice Cooper has a middle name, it’s not “Humility.” Three of his own songs are in his Halloween Top 10.
There were monsters in rock songs before Alice Cooper surfaced in the early ‘70s with songs like “The Ballad of Dwight Fry,” “Dead Babies,” and “Killer,” But there weren’t monsters in rock. Cooper changed all that.
Yet despite his violence and gore, Cooper’s style of horror has always been akin to a carnival ride or a monster movie. The thrills are real, but the terror is not, which makes Cooper the ultimate character for Halloween tricks and treats.
Cooper recently talked to Yahoo Music about his 10 favorite Halloween songs, 30 percent of which happen to be his own. “I’m going to have a lot of songs in this top 10,” he explained, “because I’m the only one that really writes scary songs.”
(11) Today In History
- October 29, 1998 — In 1998, U.S. Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, who in 1962 became the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth, returned to space aboard the shuttle Discovery. At 77, he became the oldest person to travel in space.
- October 29, 1969 — The first connection on what would become the Internet was made when bits of data flowed between computers at UCLA and the Stanford Research Institute.
(12) Today’s Birthday Boy
- Born October 29, 1947 — Actor Richard Dreyfuss, made famous by starring roles in American Graffiti, Jaws, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, is born in Brooklyn.
(13) Vox Day, in collaboration with artist Red Meat, has a new cartoon that explains the difference between the Ilk, the Dread Ilk, and the Vile Faceless Minions of Vox Popoli.
(14) Emperor Palpatine has been elected to a Ukranian city council; Chewbacca was arrested for campaigning for him…
A candidate who dresses as Star Wars villain Emperor Palpatine has been voted on to a Ukrainian city council despite standing as a joke.
According to fellow candidate Aleksandr Borovik, the man posing as Sheev Palpatine, the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, won a place on Odessa City Council, in the south west of the country.
It comes after the local electoral commission revealed that 48 candidates from the Darth Vader Block political party were registered to stand in the local election.
It has been reported that Emperor Palatine won 54.4 per cent of the poll, causing Mr Borovik to speak of his disbelief, despite respecting the choice of voters
He told RT.com: ‘This is beyond my understanding. People, what’s wrong with you?’
(15) If you’re an optimist about there ever being a Pacific Rim 2, you’ll be glad to know that Guillermo del Toro has finished the script. He’s still looking for somebody to greenlight production, of course.
(16) According to “The definitive list of werewolf-friendly cities” Gregory Benford should beware – Irvine is #4 on this list. David Doering will be shocked to see which city is #1….
Werewolves, the cursed humans that turn into enormous beasts at the full moon, date back to the 15th century. Of old English folklore, supposed shapeshifters were put on trial in Switzerland in the 15th century, much like those believed to practice witchcraft.
In the spirit of Halloween, FindTheHome and FindTheCompany wanted to see where werewolves would live (if they do indeed exist) in the United States today. We looked at the following criteria to map likely werewolf haunts.
Cities deemed dog-friendly. Low number of gun shops and gunsmiths. Low prevalence of silver-producing companies (silver is rumored to be able to kill wolves).Low population density (where werewolves would be less easily found).
(17) Today is the day to see Son of Frankenstein at the Alex Theatre in Glendale.
[Thanks to Arnie Fenner, Will R., Mark-kitteh, Jonathan Olfert, Janice Gelb, John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Soon Lee.]
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No mention of Halloween music is complete without “I Want My Baby Back” by Jimmy Cross, also known as the World’s Worst Record.
I just finished Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Bear. I loved it! Early ’70s hippie band in a creepy old manor house. Someone here recommended it and I’d thank them by name if I could remember it.
I’ve been on a Robert Sheckley binge all year after rediscovering him here, and the current installment is The Status Civilization, about a guy breaking out of a prison planet only to discover a world where robots do all the work and the only thing people still manufacture is videogames, or electronic novelty games, as he calls them. It was written in 1960. It reminds me of Divergent, Hunger Games, and Running Man, except infused with snarky humor.
@Lurkerwithout: Excitable Boy? Yep, but for creepy Zevon, what about “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner”? Wonderfully creepy image.
Upcoming on my blog, as soon as I am either at the library again, or have restored real internet access at home, a review of Queen of Shadows, by Sarah J. Maas. So much about this book I should not like, and so much about it I love.
But I got the audio for review, and it’s a fantasy novel, fourth in a series, with lots and lots of unfamiliar names, so it gets no review until I am online and can check spellings while I write that review.
It’s good, though, and a 2015 publication, so Hugo-eligible.
@ Emma
re: reading reviews
Thank you for posting reviews. It”s interesting to see what other Filers think and whether I agree or not! :^]
I haven’t read any of your list yet, but two are on my list. Will add A Borrowed Man to the neverending pile.
Bela Lugosi’s Dead – Bauhaus
Always a favorite on my Halloween playlist.
“”I believe very much that she told me she would contact Sarah, and then ignored her own promise, because Sarah A. Hoyt was not convenient to the narrative Amy Wallace wanted to tell.”
I know the Puppies enjoy casting themselves as the victims of a persecution narrative, but to anyone who has worked even briefly in journalism (my hand goes up), far and away the more likely explanation for not contacting Sarah Hoyt would be that the reporter’s editor said, “Is Hoyt going to present an insider view of the Puppies that’s markedly different from the insider view already presented by your first three Puppy sources? If not, then skip her.” And the reporter wouldn’t have anything to counter with that would justify spending the time to interview Hoyt, who (a) was not one of the three ringleaders and (b) is not a name the mag’s readers recognize (whereas George RR Martin is a name that everyone recognizes, hence the amount of focus he gets in the article). And she wouldn’t be keen to interview Hoyt if she was unlikely to use her words in the article, since people get pissy about having their time wasted on an interview that then doesn’t appear in the story.
That isn’t necessarily what happened, but it’s a lot more likely than “Hoyt wasn’t contactd because she didn’t fit the narrative” in an article that, after all, gave the Puppies three shots at establishing their narrative.
We’ll chalk up journalism as another thing Puppies don’t understand.
It’s a very long list.
Also, pretty everything Aaron has said on this round-up: +1.
Mark: [Sorceror of the] Wildeeps is worth a read… If you want to try the author for free there’s [The Devil in America] from 2014, although it’s a very different piece.
I’m glad you said that, because even though The Devil in America was nominated for a Nebula, I did not think it was that great; the plot is a very old, much-used one and I did not think the novelette gave it a revolutionary treatment.
My library has Sorceror, so I’ll probably check it out at some point.
@JJ
I has a real keyboard again!
The Devil in America was a good-but-not-great for me, as I think he was trying to jam more into it than it could fit, but it persuaded me that Kai Ashante WIlson was worth watching. Sorceror of the Wildeeps is still very dense but it all goes together much better.
@Lis Carey
My daughter adores that series, so I’m looking forward to the review.
@Lis Carey
I keep seeing that series advertised so I, too, am looking forward to your review. 🙂
Charon D. on October 30, 2015 at 8:45 pm said:
A much-underrated classic author. If you have an opportunity to see the low-budget ’60s Italian movie based on one of his stories (for which he also wrote the novelization), you really should. They managed to get Marcello Mastroianni and Ursula Andress, so it wasn’t that low budget, and they really managed to capture the feel of Sheckley’s work quite well.
I just finished re-reading his collaborative series with Roger Zelazny, starting with Bring Me the Head of Prince Charming.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Addams Family
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT
Stargate Atlantis
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
The Avengers
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Wild Wild West (7)
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)My favorite characters on Buffy were Buffy, Giles, and Willow. Not one of them went into the spinoff. So, easy choice.
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)Twin Peaks (5)
Never actually seen either of these, I’m voting for the one I guessed was more popular.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)Red Dwarf was funnier.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)And once again, yeah no.
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)Sorry, Sam.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)Again voting to help keep up my bracket prediction.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
Gaaaaaaah, this is the absolute worst bracket of all brackets. I need a towel of full bugblatter beast resistance level to protect me from this one. Have to go with Addams Family as it affected me on lifestyle level.
Have been in full Halloween mode for two days, so missed the previous bracket. :/
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Some of these bracket names are really clever, Jim 🙂
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Oh come the frak on! BtVS for the overall, but Angel had the stronger ending
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
If it was the movies, I’d give it to the Addams easily, but meh on the series.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Tough choice, and no doubt futile, but overall I enjoyed SG:A more, and it pissed me off far less when it dropped the ball then NuWho did.
Trailing Region – Round 2
Huh. That’s a surprise. Abstaining from this entire region, as don’t particularly care about/ for any of them
@Lis Carey:
Further evidence for the “hypnagogic state” theory. 🙂
@Paul Weimer: Thank you! This round was actually kind of tough to title.
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The bookies are offering a negetive return if you want to plonk your money on Buffy.
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf
The Addams Family once went on a betting spree in order to build a rocket to the moon. They lost then, and they lose now.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New]
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series
Sorry Gene, I think you are a better character than Kirk, but even with John Sim playing Sam, Spock get my money.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7
Blake 7 had Avon. ”Nuff said.
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks (5)
The second season still sucked, but it’s iconic. I really want a piece of pie, now …
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Addams Family (6)
That was *really* difficult.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis (10)
For the fanfic, which includes some *astoundingly* good stuff.
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
This will all end in tears.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
Oh damn, oh damn.
I can do this one, but I’m not happy.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
eeep
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)
Rimward Region
1. Abstain
2. Sapphire and Steel
3. Red Dwarf
4. Abstain
Trailing Region
1. Star Trek: TOS
2-4. Abstain
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Twin Peaks (5)
Abstain.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)
Abstain.
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
A weakish vote, as I have low enthusiasm for revisiting the series; I remember too many of the good jokes too well to laugh anymore and the not good jokes, well… but when it was fresh, and I less jaded, I laughed and watched and rewatched,
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)
Easy-peasy.
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Twin Peaks (5)
Gotta abstain on this one. Never really watched either.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
Red Dwarf simply wasn’t on my wavelength and Addams Family so very definitely was.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
If I’d actually watched SA seriously, I might have had to think about this one, but spinoffs have to be really good to snag me.
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)
Easy peasy.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
No question at all.
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)
Ooh. Er. Tough one. Tie!
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)
Also a tough one, but I’ll go with WWW on the conceptual side.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
I never forgave Angel for killing off Doyle.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
I almost called for a tie on this one! Very tough choice. In the end, though, Red Dwarf had some episodes that really shined.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis (10)
I like Stargate Atlantis. I do not like New Who. Easy match, but I think I’m on the losing side…
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Life on Mars (9)
Not an easy choice but in the end I’m going to have to vote for the shining star that is Life on Mars series 1 over television history but not television at its best.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
I like them both, and Quantum Leap did some great things, but Xena did, too, and Xena is just special.
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
Ack! This was an awful match. But… Blake’s 7 is just really good.
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Always an easy choice to vote for Farscape. Unless Blake’s 7 wins its match. In which case it will still be an easy choice, but it will be an easy choice that hurts.
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Oh the pain, the pain! (By the way, did anyone suggest Lost in Space? And what’s with this title? It seems like it should’ve been The Stake and the Staked.)
All right, stop chattering and make a choice. Argh! –many forehead cloths– thinking of Faith, Spike, the Mayor, Darla, Drusilla, Riley, Tara, Glory, Wesley, Fred, Doyle, Lorne, Gunn, Illyria–such great characters.
By the Powers That Be, I can’t do it.
Tie.
2 through 4: Abstain
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess
3. Abstain
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New]
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
OK, easy.
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks (5)
Sapphire and Steel had some real creepiness but Twin Peaks married the mundane with the weird in a way unparalleled.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Ouch. I’ll go for Red Dwarf.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Hmmm that hurt a bit but TOS is semonal and Life on Mars is only partly Sf/F
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Lucy Lawless has superpowers but Quantum Leap by a whisker.
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
eeeek
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Wild Wild West (7)
Fairly neutral there -almost abstained.
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. JUST VISITING
Abstain
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Addams Family
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New]
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape
@redheadedfemme
Lost in Space made it onto the suggestion list, but no-one nominated it as one of their five. 🙂
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Rimward
2.Twin Peaks
3.Addams Family
4.Doctor Who (New)
Trailing
1.ST:TOS
3.The A vengers
4.Wild Wild West
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
Angel (8)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
Not a fan of either of those, so I’m voting for Raumpatrouille – Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffs Orion instead.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)
Sorry, Star Trek, you know I love you, but Life on Mars was better over all.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Surprisingly difficult, but Xena it is.
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
Wild Wild West (7)
I’m surprised that I voted for Farscape twice in a row, since I never really liked it all that much. But I remember it a lot better than other shows from the same era. Plus, I have seen very little of Wild Wild West.
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. abstain
2. abstain
3. Addams Family
4. abstain
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. Star Trek TOS
2. Quantum Leap
3. The Avengers
4. Wild Wild West
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Addams Family (6)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Wild Wild West (7)
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis (10)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. Sapphire and Steel
3. Red Dwarf
4. Doctor Who [New]
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. Star Trek: The Original Series
2. Xena: Warrior Princess
3. Blake’s 7
4. abstain
FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angel was better in many ways, but I liked the characters in Buffy better than the ones in Angel.
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks
The middle episodes were a bit ropey and enigmatic/confusing, but as downer endings go Twin Peaks beats Sapphire and Steel.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf
Headcloth, please! A lot of affection for both of these, from different stages of my life.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New]
Never seen SG:A.
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series
ST:TOS all the way, baby!
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess
I missed the pilot episode on QL, so the capsule premise at the beginning of each episode never made a lot of sense to me. In the genre of wandering-stranger-wanders-into-town-and-fixes-the-problem-of-the-week-then-wanders-off-again, it was as good an excuse as any, I guess, but it lacked the option of recurring characters that many others, including Xena, had.
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers
For Emma Peel.
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape
Never saw WWW, so I only know it from the movie, so Farscape gets the vote, despite the portentous ending.
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. Abstain
2. Abstain
3. Addams Family
4. Doctor Who [New]
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. Quantum Leap
3. The Avengers
4. Wild Wild West
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. Sapphire and Steel (4)
3. Addams Family (6)
4. Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
2. Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. The Avengers (6)
4. Farscape (2)
Oh man, this is not getting easier. Gonna need a whole heap of forehead cloths for this one!
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1). Yeah, I prefer the original to the spinoff. Not by a lot, but by enough.
2. JUST VISITING
Abstain.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
Addams Family (6)
AAAARGH! Tie!
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2). Reluctantly. My dislike for the old Dr. Who is so strong that it’s really hard for me to view the new one dispassionately, but what I’ve been able to watch of it is pretty decent. Better, I think than SG/whatever.
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1). A bit of a tough choice, but I’ve gotta go with the classics here.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5). Ouch, ouch, ouch! Very very tough choice!
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
The Avengers (6). Finally, an easy choice.
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2). And now I’m running out of forehead cloths. Again. Very tempted to say tie, but Farscape is a lot more sftnal, so I’ll let that be the deciding factor.
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
2. JUST VISITING
Twin Peaks (5)
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
(by a whisker)
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Stargate Atlantis
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Xena: Warrior Princess
Rimward Region – Round 2
1. SEASON TWO
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)Angel (8)
I just thought Angel had overall, better acting and writing.
2. JUST VISITING
Sapphire and Steel (4)Twin Peaks (5)
Twin Peaks had that marvelous blend of horror and humor.
3. WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE TOGETHER
Red Dwarf (3)Addams Family (6)
Red Dwarf annoyed me, and Addams Family amused me and appealed to the proto-goth in me.
4. OH DO NOT ASK “WHAT IS IT?” LET US GO AND MAKE OUR VISIT.
Doctor Who [New] (2)
Stargate Atlantis (10)There has been so much that’s gone wrong recently with Dr. Who’s writing, but at it’s best, it’s been some of the best TV in decades.
Trailing Region – Round 2
1. VISITORS FROM ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS
Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
Life on Mars (9)I lived the 70s. I had no real desire to go back.
2. NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR
Quantum Leap (4)
Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
Abstain, didn’t watch either for more than five minutes.
3. NATION OR EMPIRE?
Blake’s 7 (3)The Avengers (6)
The humor and Emma Peel win me over.
4. GOOD AND BAD PEACEKEEPERS
Farscape (2)Wild Wild West (7)
Oh this is a hard one. But WWW had some excellent episodes, and it has nostalgia going for it.