Source: L’Osservatore Romano

The Vatican stated today through the Reverend Jose Gabriel Funes, the pontiff’s chief astronomer, that it is acceptable for Catholics to believe in alien life outside the planet Earth and that such belief in no way contradicts the Church’s teachings on faith in God.

In his official statement Rev. Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said that the vastness of the universe surely can indicate it is possible there could be other forms of intellligent life outside Earth capable of having faith in a god.

Life outside our own understanding of creation “doesn’t contradict our faith,” stated Fune. “Aliens would still be God’s creatures…..[and rejecting such a notion would be] putting limits” on God’s universality.

Apple is close to announcing it has signed a deal to sell HBO original programming and movies on iTunes, according to sources within the HBO heirarchy. The deal will mark the first time that Apple has agreed to a separate price structure for a content provider.

The HBO insider said that the new service would be launched and announced simultaneously, most likely in a week or two.

Details of the agreement are not yet known, but all indications point to it being pretty clear that HBO has been able to secure better terms from Apple than other content providers have in the past.

Get Josh Saul’s full report at Wired.com.

Paramount Home Entertainment is pleased to announce the DVD release of the classic sci-fi television series The Invaders: Season One on May 27th.

David Vincent, portrayed by actor Roy Thinnes knows that The Invaders, alien beings from a dying planet, have arrived to take over the Earth! To make matters worse, the aliens know who he is, and most of the time where he is. Somehow he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun.

Before there was a Fox Muldar and Dana Scully, there was David Vincent. He knew the truth was out there and spent his life on the run from the alien threat, hoping to expose their plot to take over Earth before it was too late.

This great sci-fi cult classic series ran for two seasons from 1967-1968. Thinnes also starred in several episodes of “The X-Files,” the original “Battlestar Galactica,” was the lead in “The Norliss Tapes,” and starred as Roger Collins / Rev. Trask in another cult television classic, “Dark Shadows.” However, it is his role of David Vincent on “The Invaders” that will forever be imprinted on the minds of sci-fi fans.

Friday May 16 at 10/9C — Bitter enemies must put aside their grudges as the Galactica teams up with Cylon rebels to destroy a vital enemy target.

Also on tap this week are all new episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures every Friday beginning at 7:30/6:30C.

Written by: Samuel K. Sloan (FarPoint Media Executive News Director)

I am a grown man easing into my sixth decade on this planet and I’m not ashamed to say that one of my favorite television programs of all time was Jim Henson’s “Fraggle Rock.” When HBO decided to cancel the series back in 1988 I was really ticked. The show ran for 5 seasons. An excellent run for a puppet show, but many, like myself, felt it had several more good years in it.

Now I am happy to report that the Henson estate has given the greenlight for The Weinstein Co. to turn the series into a live-action musical feature that will retain its great appeal for both children and adults alike.

This big screen feature will delve into the mysterious underground world of Fraggle Rock with its populace of strange but totally riotous Fraggles. The Weinstein boys have wisely chosen “Hoodwinked” director Cory Edwards to lead the charge from the center seat. The Hensons, through the late Jim Henson’s children Lisa and Brian, will oversea the production to ensure the film stays true and on track with their father’s original vision from the television show. Also on board to produce are Ahmet Zappa and Brian Inerfeld.

Once again those wily and energetic Fraggle puppets like Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red will be brought to life through the magic of Henson puppetry along with others in Fraggle Rock like the Doozers and the Gorgs . The basic plotline for the film will have the Fraggles venturing outside the confines of Fraggle Rock where they come into contact with human beings. Gobo and the gang think the humans are space aliens come to conquer their land.

Throughout the next several weeks one of our contributors we have situated at the network upfronts will be giving updates on programming news and events that have taken place as networks such as ABC, CBS, CW, Fox and NBC give advertisers their first look at what can be expected for the upcoming television season.

On our next Slice of SciFi show #161 on May 17, we will give a listing of which SF and genre shows will be returning and what new programs can be expected. However, until that time here is an on-the-spot report from our inside source.

I realize I don’t have that much to report today (May 12) as the only Upfront is NBC and they actually released their schedule weeks ago. Tomorrow should be much more valuable with both ABC and CW revealing their schedules. Regardless, here is my Upfront Day 1 report……

The 2008/2009 Broadcast Upfronts have officially begun. Instead of their traditional Upfront, NBC instead unveiled what they refer to as the NBC Universal Experience. There was no real programming news - since they actually announce their programming weeks ago. Instead they invited advertisers to see different exhibits set up showing the wide variety of different NBC Universal properties (ranging from “Top Chef” to “Deal or No Deal” to “Battlestar Galactica” and “Knight Rider,” etc.).

The event featured a fair amount of stars. I did meet the cast of “Heroes.” Interestingly, Ali Larter was there even though her character appeared to perish in the last aired episode. She would not comment, however, whether her appearance at the event was any clue regarding her character’s fate. Zachary Quinto (Sylar) was also present. I tried to get details regarding the “Star Trek” movie (and his role as Spock), but was unsuccessful. All he would say is that the movie is going to be great.

Nothing was really mentioned about “Warehouse 13″ and “Revolution,” the two upcoming (2009 probably) sci-fi shows. However, last week I did see the two shows mentioned in the Sci-Fi Upfront presentation that their ad sales team is sharing with advertisers.

As you have probably heard, “Warehouse 13″ is about a warehouse where the government keeps strange unexplained objects. (It was most likely inspired by the scene at the end of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”). The plot features two government agents who suddenly find themselves transferred to this new unexpected assignment.

“Revolution” is about a possible civil war with a future colony.

It is also interesting to note that the sci-fi road show also had a slide mentioning “Stargate Universe” (a possible third TV series in the Stargate universe).

I also saw the ABC Family road show at a private meeting earlier in the day. From a sci-fi perspective, they have renewed “Kyle XY” for an early 2009 return. New to the network is “Middleman” about two government agents dealing with the unexpected. Based on the clip I saw, it hearkened back to shows like “The Chronicle” or “Special Unit 2.” Over the summer, they have a 3 part mini-series called “Samurai Girl.” While this is not exactly sci-fi, it is somewhat fantasy in that, based on the clip I viewed, it features over the top martial arts.

That’s all for now from the inside track at this year’s network upfronts. Stay tuned to Slice of SciFi for future updates.

All totals are U.S. box office only. SF and genre-related films in bold.

Title (Dist.)….Reported Weekend Box Office….Engagements…. Cumulative

1. Iron Man (Paramount)….$51,190,629….4,111….$177,825,024

2. What Happens In Vegas (20th Century Fox)….$20,172,474….3,215….$20,172,474

3. Speed Racer (Warner Bros.)….$18,561,337….3,606….$18,561,337

4. Made Of Honor (Sony)….$8,116,323….2,734….$26,791,494

5. Baby Mama (Universal)….$6,225,790….2,627….$40,836,370

6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Universal)….$3,837,240….2,376….$50,781,745

7. Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo (Warner Bros.)….$3,106,424….2,264….$30,667,308

8. The Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate)….$2,169,323….1,724….$48,530,104

9. Nim’s Island (20th Century Fox)….$1,463,622….1,601….$44,395,857

10. Prom Night (Sony)….$1,012,986….1,465….$42,785,107

Source: Rentrak

Written by: Derek Kessler (Trek United News Director)

Both a former U.S. Senator and a legendary astronaut, when John Glenn speaks about NASA, people have a tendency to listen. Glenn not only was the first US astronaut to orbit the Earth, but also is the oldest astronaut, having rode the space shuttle into orbit in 1998 - at age of 77. Glenn was present at the unveiling of the restored HD NASA footage earlier this week, where he called on a NASA funding boost to extend shuttle flights and continue work on the International Space Station.

The space shuttles are planned for a retirement in 2010, following the loss of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003. The replacement crew launch system, Orion, is not projected to come online until 2014 at the very earliest, leaving NASA reliant on Russia for access to the ISS.

Additionally, NASA is only committed to funding the ISS until the end of the program in 2017, with funding drawdown projected to begin in 2015. By that time, NASA will have invest more than US$100 billion in the station, nearly 64% of the total cost. At $157 billion, the ISS is the most expensive object ever built, topping the $25 billion for China’s Three Gorges Dam and $14.7 for Boston’s Big Dig interstate tunnel project, and $11.5 billion (inflation adjusted) for the Channel Tunnel between England and France.

Read more HERE

Actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter Eddie Murphy is getting ready to star in another remake of a classic film, turning what was originally seen as a 1950’s SF drama that probed serious questions about the nature of humankind and its place in an ever-expanding universe, into a sci-fi comedy.

Murphy will next star as “The Incredible Shrinking Man” for Universal Pictures. Director Brett Ratner (”X-Men: The Last Stand”) will helm this project from screenwriters Thomas Lennon (”Balls of Fury”) and Robert Ben Garant (”Night At the Museum”).

The original movie premiered in 1957 and starred Grant Williams in the title role. It was a deliberate effort to find the soul of the person and what survives once the body becomes infinitesimally small by comparison to the universe around it. It asked the questions long sought by humanity….are we nothing more than the sum of our physical parts, or is there something vastly eternal about existence that goes beyond the body? Of course, the original also had plenty of action with Williams fighting off the family cat who now viewed his ever shrinking body as nothing more than a tasty treat, the heartwrenching moment when he realized he and his beloved wife could no longer have the loving relationship they once cherished, and the nail-biting battle with the spider in the basement that kept many a 1950’s kid awake at night forever fearful of those eight-legged creatures. But, at the heart of the SF action film were those eternal enquires, which will no doubt be lacking in Murphy’s comic presentation.

The remake will have Murphy as a famous Las Vegas magician who is put under a spell that will cause him to continually shrink. The film revolves around his misadventures as he gets smaller and smaller in search of a cure before he disappears totally. While this one is going strictly for laughs, it is a shame that Ratner and the writers didn’t call upon Murphy’s dramatic abilities he showed all his fans in “Dreamgirls.” While this new “Shrinking Man” will likely be quite entertaining, it will miss its most important element……the wonder of what lies beyond the realm of the physical senses.

“The Incredible Shrinking Man” is currently in production for a 2010 release.

Eureka, Caprica add cast members

Two SciFi original series have expanded their casts.

Eric Stoltz has joined the cast of the upcoming Galactica prequel Caprica as Daniel Graystone according to SciFi Wire. Graystone is a wealthy computer engineer who, after an emotionally crippling family tragedy, uses his technological wizardry to forever change the future of Caprica.

Also joining the cast is Alessandra Toressani as Daniel’s daughter, Zoe.

In Eureka casting news, Francis Fisher has signed on for a recurring role in the upcoming third season. Fisher will play Samantha Thorne, aka “the Fixer,” a corporate titan who is brought in to clean up Global Dynamics.

The new season of Eureka begins July 29th.

Oscar-nominated actor Peter Fonda has signed on for the upcoming SciFi Channel pilot Revolution according to SciFi Wire. Fonda will play the patriarch grandfather of a family colonizing a new world.

“Peter is going to be playing the role of Lawrence Fortis, who is the patriarch grandfather of the clan,” SciFi’s vice president of original programming Mark Stern said.

Fonda joins a cast that includes Billy Campbell, David Smith, Steve Sandvoss, Brooklyn Sudano and Rowena King. Revolution is created and written by Ed Redlich (Shark, Without a Trace) and John Bellucci (Jack and Bobby, Without a Trace), who will both serve as executive producers, along with executive producer Simon West (Lara Croft, Tomb Raider) and co-executive producer Jib Polhemus for Simon West Productions. The pilot is from CBS Paramount Network Television.

FOX has picked up J.J. Abram’s new genre series Fringe according to the Hollywood Reporter for broadcast in the fall. In addition, FOX has given the green light to Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse as a mid-season replacement series. The network has also added Virtuality to its mid-season line-up card.

Unfortunately, we have to pass along some negative news for fans–New Amsterdam won’t see a second season. It was given a pink slip by FOX.

ABC is close to giving approval for the American version of the popular British series Life on Mars. The series is being eyes for the coveted Thursday night, post-Grey’s Anatomy time slot according to reports in the Hollywood Reporter.

The deal is contingent on getting the blessing and authorization of rights-holder David E. Kelley. As we reported last week, Kelley, who owns the rights to the American version, was looking to leave the Americanized version of the popular series. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg would take over executive producers and ABC Studios would be a co-producer with 20th Century TV,

“Speed Racer” debuted this weekend in theaters across the globe but did anybody notice? Not many!

Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man,” starring Robert Downey Jr. beat out the cartoonish live-action Racer by as much as $30 million at the box office leaving the Mach 6 eating Iron’s fumes. If box office estimates continue to hold by the end of tonight then “Iron Man” will do better in its second straight week than most movies open at.

Stay tuned to Slice of SciFi for the full Top Ten Weekend grossers later this week.

Written by: Mike McCafferty (SoSF Guest Contributor)

Mother’s Day is here and so it’s time for me to give a shout out to my mom. Now even though it is Mother’s Day and it is a nice gesture, it would be a little off topic if I didn’t justify why I’m posting this on Slice of SciFi (And when did we lose the hyphen in “Sci-fi”? Are we all fans of ScienceFiction now, with no space but the one 62 miles above us?) and not www.IloveMyMommyInBlogForm.com. But fear not, for the reason, gentle reader is just: My mom is a nerd.

Yep, I said it, and by the four arms of the Kraken, I stand by it! My mom is a total sci-fi geek/nerd and I’m posting it for millions to see.

Of course, you don’t have a nerd mom, right? Are you sure?

To be honest, I don’t know how any mother could love anything Scifi or fantasy as it seems like the mother roles are the worst ones. Sure there’s father-son relations everywhere in Sci-fi (oops, hyphen) and if there’s not one, just wait for the older villain and the younger hero to square off. Within 15 seconds, you KNOW the bad guy is gonna play the “I am your father” card, whether real or not. We so want that Field of Dreams moment we find our dads any way we can get them: clones, alternate universe, robots, shapeshifters or time-travel stories where it’s revealed we fathered ourselves. Ugh.

But mom roles? Few and far between. The best you can usually hope for is some alien insect queen that descends from a mucous lined web strand and promises the hero that her children will consume him slowly. It’s either that or she becomes a part of the over used “Move out of your Mom’s basement, nerd” joke – you know the joke told by all the cool people years ago who now happen to work for computer companies founded by said basement dwellers. In short, the list of Mom’s in Scifi is short. Too short.

Of course, part of the reason is that most guys are remiss to even mention their mom as far as influences in Scifi, let alone include them in their writing. Hell, we can’t even call and say “I love you Mom” so how could we credit them with anything as formative as our love of Scifi/fantasy worlds. It’s hard enough being cool with your 8th level elf/paladin character in a world of fighter/mages without having to credit your mom for color-coordinating his armor and tunic on your character drawings. To the Scifi guy, moms are sadly nonexistent.

I’m a great example of this fault. For most of my teen and adult life, I was convinced that my love of Science fiction was self-created, a spontaneously generated interest designed to be counter-culture against jocks and cool people. Science Fiction was my goth/emo time that was totally my own and allowed me to establish an identity and self-worth. It was all me because I was just that special, damnit!

And then something funny happened: I had kids of my own.

I sat there with my four year old recently, trying desperately showing him the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars, and more importantly which one was better. It was a difficult go, and in between explaining midi-chlorians and tribbles, I wondered if he’d even remember that I took the time to be there for him on this stuff. I desperately hoped the answer was yes, and quickly wondered if my mom had ever influenced me in anything…

And that’s when it hit me. It was the “Sixth Sense” moment, the moment where suddenly everything that was always right in front of my face was suddenly revealed to me for the first time:

She watched every episode and loved every moment of my screen time, even when I didn’t.

Like Bruce Willis, I almost fell to the floor as each moment of my past flashed in my present. I was stunned that I had willfully forgotten all of that to bolster my own self-perception but more importantly that my mom ROCKED! All those years of being there, being my Scifi Yoda, answering my questions and patiently watching me grow, and then leave without thanking her. The moment that this hit me like Thor’s hammer and the mix of surprise and embarrassment was too much not to write about.

So I throw the gauntlet to you, Scifi commando, on this holiest of maternal days. You could send flowers, a card or take her to dinner today, but I dare you to do more. I challenge you to think back and remember those moments when your passion for different worlds was at it’s lowest, when the real world threatened to crush your visions. Look around in that fuzzy memory of yours and see if you can find your mom somewhere nearby, rooting you on. She may not be the Scifi badass my mom turned out to be, but I bet you that she loved you for being passionate about something and always had a kind word or glass of Tang when you needed it. When you find that moment, I’ll bet you find more, as I did. String enough together and you too might have enough evidence of having a nerd/nerd sympathizing mom too.

And now, here’s the tough part: acknowledge her for it. Cards and cakes are fine gestures, but the real gold-pressed latinum for her heart is to tell her how she helped you become the full fledged, well rounded, scifi-lovin’ nerd that you always wanted to be. It’s the best payment for the years of selfless effort to bring you up and out into the world. Tell her how she was there at the critical times to help you along and how you’re now thanking her for it. I know it’s hard – hell, I’m hiding it in a Slice of Scifi post – but trust me, it is worth it.

Because she is.

Thanks Mom,
Mike

n

Written by: Samuel K. Sloan (FarPoint Media Executive News Director)

Before I begin this review I first have to be totally honest and say that I am not the world’s greatest horror movie fan. I like them well enough, but prefer a sci-fi or fantasy B-movie over most chiller-thrillers, especially those that have been produced over the last 15 or so years.

Most of today’s horror films rely far too much on slash, burn, cut, rip and gore, all the while the story is either lost in the mayhem or never existed at all. This is a trend that started with the first Friday the 13th film in the 1980’s and shows little sign of letting up anytime soon. Whatever happen to great scary suspense filmmaking on the order of Alfred Hitchcock? No, while I remain a fan of horror novels, the big screen SCARE holds little enticement for me — but, I digress. With that backdrop in place I’ll now forge ahead with my take on Tony Giglio’s “Timber Falls,” which becomes available on DVD May 13, 2008 starring Beth Broderick and Nick Searcy.

The story revolves around a young couple in love (when doesn’t modern horror films center on a young couple, or two…or three). These young folk are hiking in the mountains and while the young lady is skinny-dipping alone in the lake is kidnapped by a serial killing religious nut-case and taken to his family’s inbred cabin. Eventually the couple are forced to become unwilling participants in a bizarre satanic bloody ritual.

The movie doesn’t waste any time displaying its shock-value. It opens with another young couple, the woman lying spread-eagled on a cross-shaped bed, gagged, bloodied, with her hands splayed out in crucified fashion with sharp knives penetrating her palms.

The rest of the 89 minutes of the film isn’t too difficult to figure out from that opening scene, but I sat through it anyway just to be fair to the production company that sent me the DVD to review before its release next week. Fortunately, if you’re reading this, you can be spared 90 minutes you’ll never get back.

To make the film not come off as a total loser, Mr. Giglio does allow our hero and heroine to finally get even with the baddies, though he leaves the film with the worn-out standard slasher close-out for an unneeded and, dare I say, unwanted sequel.

There is an old adage: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” Good advice.

The best I can do for “Timber Falls” is give it a 1 out of 5 rating.

Slice of SciFi has a special contest featuring highlights from the past 4 years of Dragon*Con.

Dragon*Con is the largest multimedia, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music and film in the US. The event is held every Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta GA.

This prize pack features one highlight DVD from Dragon*Con 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. You can see the Dragon*Con parade, panel footage, exclusive guest interviews, killer costumes, online special features and a look behind the scenes of this scifi spectacle.

Each Dragon*Con highlights DVD is produced by 3chip Media, a video production company run by FarPoint Media’s own Brian Richardson (producer of Dragon*Con TV and the WhatTheCast podcast).

For more information about Dragon*Con DVDs and other items, visit store.dragoncon.net.

Our contest begins Saturday, May 10, 2008 and will run until midnight Pacific Time, June 21, 2008. To enter send an email to contest at sliceofscifi dot com. Put DRAGON*CON DVD in the subject line.

DON’T FORGET to include your full name and shipping address in the body of the email. All entries received without that information are immediately rejected. And, remember - one entry per person per day. Good Luck!