List of Nominees for 34th Annual Saturn Awards

THE SATURN AWARDS — Presented by The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films

“300” battles “Harry Potter” and “Sweeney Todd” at the 34th Annual Saturn Awards

(Los Angeles) — The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced the nominations for the 34th Annual Saturn Awards. Leading the nominations this year is the groundbreaking film, “300” with 10 nominations. “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” follows close behind with 9 nominations and Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” is represented with 8 nominations.

A trio of fantastic adventures: “The Golden Compass”, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”, and “Spider-Man 3” received 4 nominations each, while “The Bourne Ultimatum”, “Eastern Promises”, “Enchanted”, “Grindhouse”, “The Mist”, “No Country For Old Men”, “Stardust”, and “There Will Be Blood” each received 3 nominations.

Warner Bros. leads the nominations this year with a total of 23. Paramount follows closely behind with 22 nominations (combining the releases of Paramount, DreamWorks/Paramount, and Paramount Vantage). Buena Vista received a total of 10 nominations, with Sony Pictures capturing 9 nominations. The Weinstein Co. is represented this year with 8 nominations and New Line Cinema with 6 nominations.

In television, “Lost” dominated with 7 nominations. Showtime’s “Dexter” carved an impressive 5 nominations and “Heroes” soared with 4 nominations.

The organization also announced two special awards to be given this year: Guillermo del Toro will receive the coveted George Pal Memorial Award. Author Tim Lucas has been singled out to receive a Special Achievement Award for his 2007 book: Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark. This critical study of the film work of Director Mario Bava is a life long project and labor of love from author Lucas who spent over 20 years seeing the completion and eventual publication of the book, ably supported by his wife, Donna Lucas.

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films is a non-profit organization devoted to honoring, recognizing and promoting genre entertainment. The organization was founded in 1972 by film historian Dr. Donald A. Reed. It is currently headed by film enthusiast Robert Holguin. This year’s show will take place on Tuesday, June 24, in Universal City, California.

And the nominees are:

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“The Last Mimzy” — A Slice of SciFi DVD mini-Review

Reviewer: Debbie Walker (SoSF Regular Contributor) © SliceofSciFi.com

The Last Mimzy (2007) PG
DVD released: July 10, 2007
Runtime: 90 minutes
Acrors: Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Chris O’Neil, Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton, Rainn Wilson, Kathryn Hahn, Michael Clark Duncan
Director: Robert Shaye

Story: Two children, Noah and Emma, find an interesting metal box on the beach that changes their lives. As they play with the toys inside they discover each item has a special purpose. A stuffed bunny named Mimzy tells Emma how to work the toys and both children develop higher intelligence and other special abilities. One of Noah’s experiments draws the attention of Homeland Security and things go downhill from there.

Extras: This DVD has Infinifilmâ„¢ which allows you watch the movie while information points pop up. You select enter if you’re interested in this director’s comment or deleted scene or that interview or special effects short and it plays that item. Or, you can click through the Infinifilmâ„¢ menu and get just those things you want including deleted and extended scenes. the DVD also contains three mini games and supposedly exclusive content if you connect to the Internet. But from what I can find, the net-con only links you to one more game.

What this DVD does not have is subtitles. I tried selecting subtitles from the main menu and later from within the movie but that feature, while listed, wasn’t available. This is hugely problematic for people with hearing issues.

Slice of SciFi #103: Interview with Rachel Luttrell of “Stargate: Atlantis”

 

 Slice of SciFi #103: Interview with Rachel Luttrell [55:26m]: Play Now | Download (42277)

On This Week’s Show: Interview with Rachel Luttrell

CONTEST WINNERS! Congratulations to the three winners of “The Last Mimzy” contest — Barry from Athens, Brigitte from Huntington Beach, and James from Calgary.

News Bytes:

• Rumor: Hugo Weaving may be providing the voice for Megatron in the upcoming Transformers movie, replacing the long-time voice actor Frank Welker.
• Another remake of The Blob is in the works, but the new version will follow in the footsteps of Shaun of the Dead and Tremors
• Illusionist Val Valentino’s masked persona from “Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magics Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed” is being considered for graphic novel treatment as a new kind of hero

Movie Talk:

• Spiderman 3 is still the most anticipated movie of the summer, despite the many reservations fans have about the appearance of so many villians and a partial rewriting of Spidey’s origin influence surrounding the death of Uncle Ben. Will this exploration of Peter’s dark side turn out to be a good idea or a misguided one?
• The modern day fable “Golden Door” is a mesmerizing glance at the immigration process, the internal dynamic that all immigrants face and are challenged with as they attempt to establish new roots and leave behind old ideas, mores and long established Old World cultures. While many learn to adjust, adapt and progress onward, the truth, as this film reveals, is that not all are destined to enter the gates of Heaven.

  “Golden Door” is in limited release now, but could be poised for wider release depending on audience response.

• Uma Thurman is featured in a new short film for Pirelli Tires called Mission Zero. See Uma driving a Lamborghini Gallardo with new Pirelli PZero tires, and driving through a breath-taking chase sequence, where all is not as it seems!

Slice of Trivia: Doug Kress is in studio, and gives us a live trivia test!

TV Talk: “Painkiller Jane”, the series based on the SciFi Original movie from 2006, premieres on the SCI FI Channel in the U.S. on Friday, April 13, 2007. Starring Kristanna Loken as Jane Vasco, the series is based on the comic-book series of the same name created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada.

Formerly the DEA’s top agent, Jane Vasco is formidable, both mentally and physically. As a child, her father nicknamed her Painkiller Jane, describing her ability to mentally push through even the most painful situations. But her strength is about to be tested.

Jane is recruited by a covert government agency dedicated to containing and, if necessary, neutralizing the threat of “Neuros” — individuals with superhuman neurological powers. No one knows what caused the aberrations that led to their enhanced abilities, which range from telekinesis and telepathic suggestion to induced hallucinations.

During her first investigation with her new team, Jane discovers that she too possesses an odd ability: she can’t be killed. Unfortunately, she can still feel pain. Her newfound powers make Jane even more determined to learn everything there is to know about Neuros.

Interview: Rachel Luttrell (”Teyla Emmagan”, Stargate: Atlantis) joins the crew for a festive interview about her life after joining a high-profile fan franchise. Her expectations for a short run have morphed into a great appreciation of how far and wide the fans are located, and how dedicated to the show they are.

She also tells us about life on the set as a woman who regularly kicks ass and takes names, and the fun of being on a longer running show with a strong fan following.

Future Talk: 300 director Zack Snyder’s next project may be an old story of his, Army of the Dead. It’s a zombie film set in the not-too-distant future where the city of Las Vegas has been turned into a quarantined area full of zombies. The story centers on a father who is trying to find an escape route out of Vegas in order to save his little daughter from the undead flesh eaters.

Snyder stated that he wants this zombie film to be different from all others. “Army of the Dead” will be an epic film, shot in a style similar to what he used with his film “300.” He is attempting to elevate the zombie genre to more than mere brain eating gore.

He may not be directing it, since the studio wants him to focus on the adaptation of the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons graphic novel, Watchmen, but may take on producer duties instead.

Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know. (Our Voicemail Number: 206-339-TREK). We’ve got plenty of voicemail from fans to listen and respond to, but you’ll hear that in a fresh, separate show.

See you next week with fresh, new content!

Weekend Box Office Final — March 30 - April 1, 2007

All totals are U.S. Box Office only. Genre films are in bold.

1. Blades of Glory………………..$33,014,202
Engagements:3,372 Cume: $33,014,202

2. Meet the Robinsons……………..$25,123,781
Engagements:3,413 Cume: $25,123,781

3. 300…………………………..$11,434,437
Engagements:3,004 Cume: $179,941,919

4. TMNT…………………………..$9,232,362
Engagements:3,120 Cume: $38,500,646

5. Wild Hogs………………………$8,662,893
Engagements:3,200 Cume: $135,628,796

6. Shooter………………………..$8,364,413
Engagements:2,806 Cume: $27,576,332

7. Premonition…………………….$5,213,264
Engagements:2,474 Cume: $39,455,581

8. The Hills Have Eyes II…………..$4,186,386
Engagements:2,465 Cume: $16,069,995

9. Reign Over Me…………………..$3,835,022
Engagements:1,671 Cume: $13,465,869

10. The Last Mimzy…………………$3,815,600
Engagements:3,017 Cume: $16,007,619

Source: Variety

“Stargate: Atlantis” Star Rachel Luttrell Is Our Guest For Show #103

On this week’s show, airing online Wednesday, April 4 we have actress Rachel Luttrell from the SCI FI Channel hit series “Stargate: Atlantis” as our guest.

Rachel is the beautiful young actress who plays Teyla Emmagan, the lovely and accomplished leader of a primitive alien civilization in the Pegasus Galaxy. Although her civilization is in all but ruins due to the onslaught of the lifeforce-sucking entities known as the Wraith, there was a time when her society was one of the most highly advanced in that region of the galaxy. In Season One of the series Teyla and a large contingent of her people made contact with the Atlantis Stargate team where she joined the Earth crew as a liaison between them and her people, and a tactical ally in the fight against the Wraith.

Rachel was born in Tanzania, Africa to a French father and Tanzanian mother. They later moved to Canada where she grew up. She pursued a career in the arts and entertainment industry studying ballet at the prestigious Russian Academy Ballet School, starring in the Toronto stage production of “Miss Saigon” and making her splash in television in such roles as Veronica Beck in the CBC series “Street Legal.” She later appeared on American television making guest appearances on shows like the Emmy winning “ER,” “Charmed,” “Forever Knight” and many others. Eventually she landed the role of Teyla which has made her a favorite of science fiction fans everywhere and a household name.

“Stargate: Atlantis” and “Stargate: SG-1″ return with all new episodes on Friday, April 13, 2007.

On the rest of the show we have lots of news about movies, TV, exclusive internet videos and more. Plus, Summer Brooks announces the names of our three lucky winners of “The Last Mimzy” contest with news of another new contest coming soon.

In the News:
Hugo Weaving will do the talking for Megatron in the new “Transformers” movie. Will Frank Welker fans accept this move by director Michael Bay? There’s a new BLOB movie coming out again. This time it’s being done for laughs. And, Val Valentino’s Masked Magician will get graphic novel treatment from Virgin Comics and Nash Entertainment. Could there be a movie deal in the works too?

Movie Talk:
We take a closer look at “Spider Man 3″ due out next month. We examine a little gem of a flick called “Golden Door” which is a modern day fable about the immigrant experience.

As a special bonus feature on this week’s show we talk about a new online short that can only be seen on the Internet from the folks at Pirelli Tires. It’s called “Mission Zero” and stars the gorgeous Uma Thurman in hot, fast, explosive, heart-pounding action.

Slice of Trivia:
Our good friend Doug Kress is actually in the studio LIVE this week with three great new trivia clips to stump the brain.

TV Talk:
The motto for this week’s TV segment is “No Pain - No Gain - for Jane.” On April 13 “Painkiller Jane,” the new SCI FI Channel television series starring Kristanna Loken and based on the popular comic book series created by Jimmy Palmiotti and Joe Quesada will premiere on SciFi Friday. In the near future — with the world locked in an escalating battle against terrorism and beleaguered by social and economic unrest — an unlikely heroine has emerged and her name is Jane Vasco, a.k.a. “Painkiller Jane.”

Future Talk:
Fresh off of his mega blockbuster hit film “300,” director Zack Snyder has decided it’s time to revisit an original story he wrote a few years back called “Army of the Dead” (not to be confused with the 2006 straight-to-DVD film of the same name). We look at what Zack has to say about his vision for this movie and where he’d like to see all future zombie movies go.

There you have it. Another great show, chock full of exciting stories, new revelations about upcoming TV shows and movies and the beautiful Rachel Luttrell talking all about “Stargate: Atlantis.” You’ll not want to miss this exciting Slice of SciFi Show #103 ready for download on Wednesday, April 4, 2007 and on XM-Satellite Radio’s Sonic Channel one week later. We’ll look for you then.

Slice of SciFi #102: Interview with Ted V. Mikels

 

 Slice of SciFi #102: Interview with Ted V. Mikels [57:07m]: Play Now | Download (17672)

On This Week’s Show: Interview with Ted V. Mikels

Radio Info: Since we’ve been getting more and more feedback from XM Radio listeners, Mike gives an update on how the show airs on XM, and why sometimes the news may be a little bit older than listeners were hoping for.

News Bytes:

• In an update for Universal Pictures’ “Wanted”, Angelina Jolie is willing to join James MacAvoy and Morgan Freeman for filming in May.
• Beginning May 1, the HD-In Demand Channel will be renamed Mojo and start new programming for upscale men aged 25 to 54. Much of the programming will cover sports, gambling, comedy, music and world travel — with a smattering of SF.
• MIT grad student and Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Award winner Nathan Bell developed an ascender apparatus and technique that allows a firefighter with a full load to bound up as high as 30 stories in about 30 seconds.

  What normally takes a man carrying a 100 pound load several minutes to do via a stairwell can be done in a matter of seconds by using Bell’s device known as The Atlas Rope Ascender. While originally designed with firefighters and rescue workers in mind, the possibilities for amusement park rides abound.

Movie Talk:

• Nimrod Antal will be directing “Vacancy”, written by Mark L. Smith and starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale, and follows a stranded couple as the try to escape from being the next victims of a killer video taping his victims.
• Highlander’s Adrian Paul stars in “Seance”, also written by Mark L. Smith, tells the story of five college students trying to rid their dormitory of the ghost of a troubled little girl. In the process of exorcising her from the place they end up resurrecting the ghost of the girl’s killer and the college kids become its next victims. “Seance” was the winner of the Horror Genre Award at the 2006 Modesto ShockerFest.
• “Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill” is new on DVD, and has a group of college students on a road trip, coming across the abandoned town of Sunset Valley. They find themselves in a life and death struggle against a band of Civil War Confederate zombie soldiers seeking revenge and those delicious human sweetbreads because of the horrible way they were executed nearly 143 years ago by the Union Army.

Contest: Don’t forget to submit your entry for The Last Mimzy prize pack!

TV Talk:

• “Battlestar Galactica” executive producer David Eick signed a contract extension with NBC Universal, according to reports from “TV Guide” On-Line. Eick will continue working with Galactica show-runner Ron Moore on the fourth season of the hit sci-fi show as well as the proposed sequel “Caprica.”

  “Caprica”, which was once thought to be a slam dunk, will have its fate decided soon, according to “Variety.”

  Eick is also developing two other pilots for NBC Universal. One is an update of “The Bionic Woman” for NBC. The other is “Them” for FOX, which will follow the story of sleeper cells of extraterrestial terrorists. James D’Arcy, Rachel Nicohosl, Ben Feldman and Reg Rogers have all been linked to the project. This past week it was announced that “Galactica”’s Tricia Helfer had joined the cast.

• Kiefer Sutherland’s production company East Side Entertainment has landed a deal with the SCI FI Channel to produce and create a two-hour pilot for a possible weekly series called “Phenomenon”. The show looks at a team of scientists and medical professionals as they investigate events that seem to defy the known laws of physics and established truths about the biological sciences. This specialized team is led by a young female prodigy, who is somewhat of a mystery herself.

  “In ‘Phenomenon,’ ordinary people have their assumptions and natural world—their belief systems—completely shattered when they’re confronted by unsettling and unexplained phenomena,” explain Mark Stern, SCI FI’s exec VP of programming.

• Mike also talks a little about Acceptable TV, a new show coming to the airwaves from VH1.

Interview: Cult filmmaker Ted V. Mikels joins us, and Sam runs away with the interview! Some of Ted’s cult films include “The Astro Zombies,” co-written with a very young Wayne Rogers of “M*A*S*H” fame, the very campy cult favorite “Corpse Grinders” and “Bloody Orgy of the She Devils.” Michael Ansara, best known by sci-fi fans as the Klingon Captain Kang from the original Star Trek series and years later on Deep Space Nine and Voyager, worked with Ted on his movie “The Doll Squad” which dealt with an elite army of female assassins.

Ted talks about his famous one-time home, the Glendale Castle, what it takes in the way of personal and financial sacrifice to put together an independent cult film and that many times, the payback isn’t monetary but the satisfaction of seeing your creations well received and still being talked about over 40 years later.

There’s so much to cover, we couldn’t fit it all into one interview segment… We’ll have more from Ted real soon!

Future Talk: Andrew Currie’s latest film, “FIDO”, takes place in a future that has residents of the small town of Willard living in a 1950’s era lifestyle, where the sun always shines, the moon is full and bright, everybody knows their neighbors and brain eating zombies deliver the mail, stack the store shelves and walk the family dog.

FIDO is a comedy horror film that is part “Planet of the Apes,” “Pleasantville” and “Night of the Living Dead,” with just a dash of “Animal House.”

The film stars “The Matrix’s” Carrie-Anne Moss, Dylan Baker, young K’Sun Ray as Timmy and Billy Connolly as the lovable but misunderstood FIDO. It co-stars award winning actor Tim Blake Nelson of “The Astronaut Farmer” and “O Brother Where Art Thou.”

FIDO opened in several countries this month, including Canada and will get its U.S. theatrical release on June 15, 2007.

Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know. (Our Voicemail Number: 206-339-TREK). We’ve got plenty of voicemail from fans to listen and respond to, but you’ll hear that in a fresh, separate show.

See you next week with fresh, new content!

Weekend Box Office Final — March 23-25, 2007

Totals are for U.S. box office only. All genre films in bold.

Six out of ten of this weekend’s top grossing movies were genre films.

1. TMNT………………………….$24,255,205
Engagements:3,110 Cume: $24,255,205

2. 300…………………………..$19,862,491
Engagements:3,280 Cume: $161,706,146

3. Shooter……………………….$14,523,571
Engagements:2,806 Cume: $14,523,571

4. Wild Hogs……………………..$13,850,542
Engagements:3,401 Cume: $123,303,817

5. The Last Mimzy…………………$10,024,819
Engagements:3,017 Cume: $10,024,819

6. The Hills Have Eyes II…………..$9,686,362
Engagements:2,447 Cume: $9,686,362

7.Premonition…………………….$9,562,739
Engagements:2,831 Cume: $31,653,484

8. Reign Over Me…………………..$7,460,690
Engagements:1,671 Cume: $7,460,690

9. Pride………………………….$3,533,300
Engagements:1,518 Cume: $3,533,300

10. Dead Silence…………………..$3,440,415
Engagements:1,806 Cume: $13,216,140

Source: Variety

Slice of SciFi #101: Interview with Bryan Temmer, Alien Theme Park

 

 Slice of SciFi #101: Interview with Bryan Temmer [56:03m]: Play Now | Download (26084)

On This Week’s Show: Interview with Bryan Temmer

News Bytes:

• The United States Postal Service is joining the Star Wars 30th Anniversary celebration by honoring the franchise with a 30th Anniversary Commemorative Stamp, which will be available for sale within a few short months. In addition, 320 post office boxes across the US will be redesigned to look like a replica of R2D2, and placed in high traffic areas to ensure the greatest public visability. We at Slice of SciFi and the US Post Office want to remind people that theft of mailboxes and their contents is a violation of federal law.
• Castle Dracula is one of Romania’s most popular tourist destinations and, if you are into investing in real estate, you can become the proud owner of Count Vlad’s former estate for a mere $100 million.
• Former Paramount and Disney big shot Michael Eisner has announced the formation of a new Web-based studio he has dubbed Vuguru, which will be in the business of creating, producing and distribuing original content aimed at the Internet and other emerging digital platforms.

Movie Talk:

• Dream Works Animation has jumped on the James Cameron 3-D bandwagon and has promised that all their films will be released in 3-D beginning in 2009. Dream Works is joining a growing list of studios, production companies and filmmakers that have grasped onto this expanding technology.
• David Arquette’s “Tripper”, a horror film with political overtones and lots of debauchery, is set for limited release on April 20. The film is set at an outdoor rock music festival similar to Woodstock. This one is being held in the Redwood Forrest and centers around a group of juiced-up hippies who go wandering in the woods around the concert and become the target for a crazed madman that is obsessed with Ronald Reagan.

Slice of Trivia: Doug is back with some new trivia clips for us!

Contest: Don’t forget to submit your entry for The Last Mimzy prize pack!

TV Talk: There may be 4 reasons why NBC/Universal moved BSG from Friday nights to Sunday nights on SciFi Channel, and all of the speculation has to do the potential for BSG’s viewers to opt for watching “Raines” instead, which is now airing on NBC.

Interview: Bryan Temmer joins Michael, Evo and Tim to talk about his dream project, Alien Apex Resort and Theme Park in Roswell NM. That’s right, he wants to build the very first alien theme park in Roswell. This year, they will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Roswell UFO incident, so expanding the options for tourists and aliens alike sounds like a can’t-miss venture.

Bryan wants to bring scientific researchers from SETI related projects, UFO believers, and die-hard skeptics together, and have areas in the park for people from all walks to enjoy. The ideas he has for roller coasters and other displays sound promising and fun!

Future Talk: Scottish actor James MacAvoy is starring in Wanted, the adaptation of Mark Millar’s Top Cow graphic novel. Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch) is directing and Morgan Freeman is co-starring in the Universal Pictures thriller that’s due in theaters in March 2008.

Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know. (Our Voicemail Number: 206-339-TREK). We’ve got plenty of voicemail from fans to listen and respond to, but you’ll hear that in a fresh, separate show.

See you next week with fresh, new content!

“Pathfinder” — An Epic Film

In an untamed, primordial America, 500 years before Columbus will reach its shores, unfolds an epic battle between love and hate that will change one man’s destiny and the future of a nation in the 20th Century Fox epic film “PATHFINDER.”

This action-adventure saga recreates one of the most riveting, yet never-before-seen, eras in human history – when Viking “dragon” ships from the mysterious Norse lands arrived out of nowhere to invade a pristine North America. Inspired by historical findings, yet forged with the magic and style of a modern graphic novel, “Pathfinder” comes to life in a cinematic experience filled with intense and primal action.

Directed by Marcus Nispel (”The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”), the film stars Jay Tavare (”Cold Mountain”), Nicole Munoz (”The Last Mimzy”), Clancy Brown (”Lost” “Carnivale”), Karl Urban (”Doom”) and Michelle Thursh (”Forever Knight”). The award winning Native American actor Russell Means (”Natural Born Killers” “Last of the Mohicans”) stars as the powerful shaman Pathfinder.

“Pathfinder” opens nationwide on Friday April 13, 2007.

Slice of SciFi #100: Interview with N. John Smith on “Sanctuary”

 

 Slice of SciFi #100: Interview with N. John Smith [56:10m]: Play Now | Download (45143)

On This Week’s Show: Interview with N. John Smith

News Bytes:

• This episode of Slice of SciFi marks our 100th. What started out to be a very short fifteen minute podcast designed to showcase the work being done by fans of the Save Enterprise movement over two years ago has blossomed into a one hour weekly internet podcast, FM radio show and XM Satellite Radio program that gives out news, information and chat about the world of scifi, fantasy and horror, as well as real science as it relates to scifi
• Moviegoers in Japan will get to see Spiderman 3 a few days before the rest of the world. The red carpet will be rolled out at the Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills in Tokyo on April 16th. The film gets released throughout the rest of Japan on May 1st, then everywhere else in the world three days later on May 4th.
• Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura has been telling various press outlets that his next agenda, after he closes the studio doors on “The Transformers,” is a reimagined big screen adaptation of “G.I. Joe,” and his number one candidate for the role of Duke is “The Departed’s” Mark Wahlberg.

Movie Talk:

• “Severance” is a Christopher Smith horror film about a corporate retreat trip into the mountains of Budapest. Those coming for a little R & R are a group of global weapons suppliers and a coach just looking to get away for awhile. Their revitalizing weekend soon turns into one of terror as their lives are put on the chop-block, literally, when a deadly, bloody enemy hunts them down.
• “Rogue” is sort of a continuation to director Greg McLean’s popular film “Wolf Creek.” McLean tells the story of a tour guide, an American writer and a group of tourists who are all being setup to be served as the next three-course meal for all the hungry crocs that have surrounded them as they find themselves stranded on a quickly disappearing piece of land. As the waters rise, so does the death count.
• David L. Cunningham is set to direct “The Dark is Rising”, based on the highly acclaimed Susan Cooper novel “The Dark Is Rising Sequence.” It tells the story of a young man by the name of Will Stanton, who learns that he is the last of a group of warriors who have one destiny–Fighting the Forces of Darkness in the world. The movie is from 20th Century Fox and Walden Media, and is due out on September 28, 2007.

Contest: Don’t forget to submit your entry for The Last Mimzy prize pack!

TV Talk:

• the BBC confirmed that series three of the new “Doctor Who” will hit television screens in the UK on Saturday, March 31st. The story will introduce fans to the Doctor’s new companion Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman, and David Tennant will return as The Doctor.
• The BBC recently announced that the last story of the classic series, “Survival” will come to DVD in the UK on April 7. The story features the seventh Doctor as played by Sylvester McCoy. There are also a number of other classic Who releases finally coming to DVD.

Interview: John Smith joins us to talk about his involvement with the new internet-distributed series, Sanctuary. His experience with the “Stargate” franchise has provided the guidance necessary for unique challenges presented during the production of this serialized story.

John tells us about the flexibility that comes without being tied to studio constraints, and the extensive stunt work and CG work that has gone into this “first season”, and more. Stay tuned for the first episode to be released in April!

Future Talk: M. Night Shyamalan will be going for his first R-rated film in his career. 20th Century Fox has given the film director/writer the opportunity to team up with old friend Barry Mendel, the producer he worked with on the only two highly successful films in Night’s resume’, “The Sixth Sense” and “Unbreakable.”

Night will be given $57 million from the studio to make a paranoid suspense thriller called “Happening.” The main plot of the film tells the story of a family on the run from a natural catastrophe that becomes a large-scale threat to the existence of all humanity.

Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know. (Our Voicemail Number: 206-339-TREK). We’ve got plenty of voicemail from fans to listen and respond to, but you’ll hear that in a fresh, separate show.

See you next week with fresh, new content!

Slice of SciFi is 100 & Producer N. John Smith is Our Guest

We continue this week, which marks our 100th show and a little over two years of programming, with another look at the highly anticipated online release of Damian Kindler’s creation called “Sanctuary” which stars Stargate SG-1’s Amanda Tapping and is directed by Martin Wood. This series is being watched over by our guest, executive producer N. John Smith.

John will talk about all the pitfalls, fun moments and excitement of shooting this kind of high-intensity serial for the internet, especially one that garners such talent as Tapping, Kindler and Wood. “Sanctuary” will co-star “Dawson Creek” actor Robin Dunne, from “Battlestar Galactica” comes actress Emilie Ullerup and from both Stargate series, Christopher Heyerdahl.

By-the-way — as an added note, three Stargate alum are reportedly making an appearance in “Sanctuary.” They are David Hewitt, actor-turned-director Peter DeLuise, and Paul McGillion.

You will be treated to a first-hand idea of what really goes on to get a production like this going from the perspective of a person who is the glue that holds it all together. As executive producer that is John’s job and he is hear to tell us all about it. Tune it, it will be fun.

On the rest of the news front, Summer and Evo had to be away for prior committments, but we have plenty of Farpoint Media and Slice of SciFi folk on hand in the studio, including Mike, Brian, Tim and Sam — who will be reading the news, while the rest of the gang provide the required level of snark and pithy innuendo.

In the News:

Sam gives kudos to all the staff, and especially the fans, for the success that Slice has become as we mark this important 100th episode landmark.

Other stories focus on the Tokyo premiere of “Spider Man 3″ where the red carpet gets rolled out for Sam Raimi, Stan Lee and the entire cast almost a month before the rest of the world will get the pleasure of seeing the film.

And producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura states that his next project is a live-action, big screen presentation of G.I. Joe with Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg in the lead. Markie-Mark has come a long way.

Movie Talk:

We take a look at three films. Two are so-so and the third is already causing quite a stir among scif/fantasy fans. The first two are slasher/horror flicks, one titled “Severance” is set in Budapest while the second from “Wolf Creek” director Greg McLean is shot in Australia and is called “Rouge”

The final, and most interesting of the lot, is a film adaptation of Susan Cooper’s novel “The Dark Is Rising Sequence” and tells the story of a young man who realizes he is one of the last remaining warriors of light to fight against the coming onslaught of evil and darkness. This film will be called “The Dark Is Rising.”

TV Talk:

We have loads of “Doctor Who” television news for fans in the UK that we will be talking about, as well as, lots of DVD release information from various incarnations of the Doctor that the whole globe will have access to.

What’s In the Future?:

Our look into the oracle’s tea leaves reveals a new film by M. Night Shyamalan that will take the famed director into territory he has never ventured before…the R-Rated movie. That’s right, the director of “The Sixth Sense” will tackle what happens when an event so devastating threatens to destroy the existence of all humanity in “Happening.”

We have “Sanctuary’s” N. John Smith, lots of news and a contest giveaway announcement for the upcoming film “The Last Mimzy” all on our next show - the landmark 100th on Slice of SciFi ready for internet download on Wednesday, March 14, 2007 and on XM-Satellite Radio one week later. Be sure to tune in for all the fun, excitement, news and snarkiness.

Contest: The Last Mimzy

The Future is Trying to Tell Us Something

“Slice of SciFi” is holding a contest for “The Last Mimzy”!

We will pick 3 winners at random, based on email submissions, and each winner will receive a MIMZY prize pack.

Send your emails to contest @ sliceofscifi.com. Entry submissions close March 30, with the winners to be selected and announced on “Slice of SciFi” Show #103, for April 4th.

In theaters March 23rd - Based on the acclaimed sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett, The Last Mimzy tells the story of two children who discover a mysterious box that contains some strange devices they think are toys. As the children play with these “toys,” they begin to display higher and higher intelligence levels. Their teacher tells their parents that they seem to have grown beyond genius. Their parents, too, realize something extraordinary is happening. Emma, the younger of the two, tells her confused mother that one of the toys, a beat-up stuffed toy rabbit, is named Mimzy and that “she teaches me things.”

As Emma’s mom becomes increasingly concerned, a blackout shuts down the city and the government traces the source of the power surge to Emma’s family’s house. Things quickly spin wildly out of their control. The children are focused on these strange objects, Mimzy, and the important mission on which they seem to have been sent. When the little girl says that Mimzy contains a most serious message from the future, a scientific scan shows that Mimzy is part extremely high level electronic, and part organic! Everyone realizes that they are involved in something incredible…but exactly what?

Official Movie Website: http://www.mimzy.com/
View the Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/newline/thelastmimzy

SoSF News Briefs

Producer and noted authority on comic book history Michael Uslan (Batman Begins), announced that the movie titled “Shazam,” featuring comic book hero Captain Marvel is moving forward and will be directed by Peter Segal (Anger Management, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps). Screenplay has been written by Bryan Goluboff (The Basketball Diaries) and William Goldman (The Princess Bride). Uslan will also be executive producer for the upcoming “Batman Begins” sequel “The Dark Knight.” Segal is directing Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell’s next project “Get Smart.”

The Serenity Special Edition DVD 2-disc set will be ready for release in July 2007. Creator and director Joss Whedon is promising all kinds of shiney stuff on this one.

J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5) is currently writing an adaptation of “World War Z” by author Max Brooks. Paramount Pictures will be turning this intriguing work into a big screen project. The story gives the accounts of several people who have played a central role in the spreading of a virus that has turned much of the world’s human population into zombies.

The long-standing fight between director Peter Jackson and New Line continues. Now Jackson is trying to force New Line to undergo a financial audit on the budgets of the $1.6 billion grossing movies, but the studio, to nobody’s surprise, is refusing to cooperate with the request. For those who haven’t been keeping up with this fiasco, Peter Jackson believes that he is owed more money from the LOTR films. A true accounting of New Line’s books would either confirm Jackson’s charge or prove New Line correct in their stance against paying him the additional funds. My question is, if New Line is telling the truth why not open the books so this battle royale can be put to rest once and for all? This whole thing is putting a damper on my enthusiasm over the production and release of “The Hobbit.”

“The Last Mimzy” is a film based on the acclaimed sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett. It tells the story of two children who discover a mysterious box that contains some strange devices they think are toys. As the children play with these “toys,” they begin to display higher and higher intelligence levels. Their teacher tells their parents that they seem to have grown beyond genius. Their parents, too, realize something extraordinary is happening. Look for it in theaters on March 23rd and you can view the trailer HERE.

Yuri Gagarin was the first human to go into space on April 12th, 1961. The US Space Shuttle first launched on April 12th, 1981. Yuri’s Night is like the St Patricks Day or Cinco de Mayo for space. It is one day when all the world can come together and celebrate the power and beauty of space and what it means for each of us. To find out how to join the party CLICK HERE.

“Circling the Earth in my orbital spaceship I marveled at the beauty of our planet. People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty — not destroy it!” — Yuri Gagarin

Tim Kring said in a recent interview that the Season One storyline of the NBC mega-hit “Heroes” will come to a conclusion in the season finale. Season Two will be filled with a new direction, new stories and even some new heroes. Don’t worry, our old friends from Season One will not be forgotten and left out of the loop.

Mimzy Toy Box

Rainn Wilson (The Office) and Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck), both on successful TV shows of recent note have joined the cast of New Line’s “Mimzy.”

This scifi family drama is about two siblings who, after discovering a box of toys sent from the future, begin developing some remarkable talents, both terrifying and wonderful. As their parents and teacher notice the kids’ changed behavior, they all find themselves drawn into a unique different world. Wilson will play a science teacher, and Richardson is the siblings’ mom.