Show #3: Pre-show discussion

The book under discussion in our 3rd show will be Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.

Most people know of the Amber series by Zelazny, but fewer know about this stand-alone fantasy. David Moldawer will be joining Joe and I to talk shop about this book, since he’s the Zelazny guru amongst us.

Feel free to throw in comments, or points you might like to hear us talk about, if you’re already familiar with the book.

Ninja Fight: Airwolf vs Blue Thunder

Okay, to keep everyone entertained until we post the pre-show discussion thread for Show #3, I’m throwing out our very first “Ninja Fight” cage match. Not quite the same as Jack Mangan’s Duel of the Fates, but in the same spirit.

So, Joe, Dave Moldawer and I were discussing older shows and movies, when the subject of Airwolf vs Blue Thunder came up, and Dave said he’d never even heard of Blue Thunder. The tale of the spiritually tortured pilot of a “black helicopter” and he’s never heard of it? Yes, he has a homework assignment to go rent this movie and watch it.

Anyway, Airwolf vs Blue Thunder. Let’s hear your opinions on the show vs the movie, creatively speaking, and copter abilities, technically speaking. You can also argue for or against on whether these qualify as scifi… I always thought they were, simply because of the technology put into the vehicles at the time (and yes, I consider Knight Rider scifi, too, and Automan).

Feel free to post your comments here, or over at the forums.

TV Shows: Threshold

About Threshold, Agusti wrote in comments:

Is it just me, or does anybody else feel like it’s getting better?

I started watching it from some distance. I thought (I still think) that the first episode was heavily “inspired� by Michael Crichton’s “Sphere�. I didn’t like the music. The acting left me cold.

However, it was entertaining, so I kept watching. And without a warning I have found myself hooked. I’m starting to actually care about what happens to the characters. The things that I like about the series and that I think are quite original are:

a) The EXTREME measures that the Threshold team are forced to take (don’t want to spoil anything, I will just say Miami)
b) The feeling of “we are oh so screwed�. The feeling that Threshold is failing.

I haven’t liked a bit that time switch. Smells like cancellation.

I think the time switch makes sense… Close to Home makes a better lead-in for Numb3rs than Threshold did. Cancellation isn’t in the wind for either of the new series, and I think they wanted to move Threshold out of SciFi Friday’s way.

Problem is, it’ll be up against House. So while it likely won’t win it’s time slot, it may pull in viewers who don’t watch House, and the folks who have been watching will follow.

And you’ve pegged the evolution of the team and their need to adapt to the aliens’ ways of adapting their methods… this is from a TV news item that was featured in Slice of SciFi #31:

Threshold producer David Goyer promises some surprising evolutions for series regulars now that CBS has picked-up the show for the entire season.

A strong cliffhanger that will end this season is hinted at. Goyer revealed that at the end of this season the news of the alien incursion leaks out to the general public and the shit really hits the fan. He also let slip that Dr. Molly Cafferey’s (Carla Gugino) contingency plan is actually broken down into three stages� ‘Threshold,’ ‘Foothold’ and ‘Stranglehold.’

“Marshall Law is declared in Season 2 and by Season 3, we’re kind of in a 28 Days Later land,� stated Goyer.

QUESTION: So, is Goyer claiming that CBS has already agreed to a 3-year comittment to Threshold? Hmmmmmmmmmmm!

I really like the planned progression from the “Threshold” to the “Foothold” to the “Stranglehold” contingency plans. It means they’re expecting things to get worse, and we’ll get to see it. That’s what thrilled me about Babylon 5… and that I’ll get to see something similar unfold in a contemporary setting has me intrigued.

TV Shows: Night Stalker RIP

As mentioned in the comments of the earlier Night Stalker post, ABC has officially cancelled Night Stalker, and left us with a hanging cliffhanger.

So now I’m wondering how much longer Invasion will last, and I’m also wondering if they made a hasty call and officially cancelled the wrong show first.

Anyway, now there are no ABC shows on my schedule to watch (no, I do not watch Lost, and honestly have no interest in watching it). Guess they’ll try again next year to get my attention.

TV Shows: Invasion, and What I Watch

I’ve changed my mind. Invasion is the first series officially deleted from my scheduled recording list.

I gave this show a longer chance than usual, solely because of Shaun Cassidy’s involvement, but I must say now that I’m disappointed. Cassidy’s name carried weight with me because of how much I enjoyed American Gothic (which finally came out on DVD last month).

It’s the same automatic consideration that I would give any show that has the names Joss Whedon, Tim Minear, Jerry Bruckheimer or Dick Wolf attached… said show gets an automatic try-out, but it’s up to that show to present compelling enough evidence to keep me watching.

Make no mistake… those names alone are not a guarantee to me keep watching faithfully. Well, Joss Whedon is the exception in that list. He is indeed my master now, the sixth season of Buffy having long since been forgiven.

Outside of that, I no longer watch the original CSI, and I haven’t in about 3 years. I enjoy watching the Miami and New York CSI’s instead. I also don’t watch the original Law & Order anymore, and haven’t for 3-5 years. I didn’t watch SVU past the 5th episode, and didn’t watch Trial by Jury past the 2nd episode. By contrast, I can’t get enough of Criminal Intent… I watch it all the time, including the reruns on USA and Bravo. I also still watch the older Law & Order shows with Chris Noth, George Dzundza and Paul Sorvino… basically any of the episodes before Benjamin Bratt joined the cast.

Returning from that tangent, I’m not going to invest any more time in Invasion.

That said, Night Stalker has earned a reprieve because of last week’s episode, and the way they fished me in with the “to be continued” tag. It still has a lot of work to do to overcome the disjointed and slow start, I think, but compared to Invasion, it and Threshold are masterworks.

TV Shows: Night Stalker

Okay, I’ve tried to give the new Night Stalker a chance. I just watched the most recent 4 episodes back-to-back, and honestly, I’m not feeling the thrill.

Guess there’s going to be one less series on my DVR’s auto-record schedule.

Signs from the Universe

First assignment: Listen to this week’s Wingin’ It podcast. Pay special attention starting at around time stamp 33:30…

Next, after the laughing, ponder the greater meaning. Basically, it has to be a sign from the Universe, because I can’t fathom any other reason behind it.

The Ninjas were meant to be a show business entity, and the Universe is offering us credit for our efforts.

What do you think? The Dragon Page has never received an Amex Card application…

Fixed version of Show #2 available

Okay, there’s a fixed version of Show #2 available, so you can download it directly (same file name)… I’m not sure how to get the feed to automagically push it out there, though…

(update: I think I figured it out… new version should be pushed out now)

100 Scariest Movie Moments

[I meant to post this earlier, during Halloween weekend, but I didn't get back to it before leaving for WFC, so here it is now]

I’d heard of the Bravo miniseries The 100 Scariest Movie Moments, but I missed it when it came out the first time around.

Luckily for me, they aired it again a couple of times during Halloween weekend, and I made myself a DVD of it, sans commercials. A 5-hr miniseries boils down to about 3:35 without commercials… sad.

Anyway, what do you think of the movies on the list? I’m amazed as all hell that Near Dark made it into the list, because I’ve always thought that movie was underrated and underappreciated.

And I am pleasantly surprised that Jaws still tops the list. And to think, I saw that movie on the big screen when I was only 10 years old. Think that might have had an influence on my liking of monster movies? And yes, the shark counts as a monster.

Update Clarification: Remember folks, this list is NOT the 100 Scariest Movies of All Time, but the 100 Scariest Movie Scenes of All Time. So, a movie that is not known as a horror movie can have a scene in it that scares the pants off of you. There were several moments in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? that, in my opinion, should have made the list but didn’t.

Traveling to World Fantasy Con

Okay, by the time most of you read this, I will be on a plane headed for Madison WI, to spend four days in weather much colder than I’m used to anymore.

Actually, I’ll be attending WFC 2005, finally meeting some of the authors I’ve been talking to for years, including Matt Stover. Should be a blast all around, and yes, I’ll be recording some reports, and hopefully some interviews with other authors and publishers.

Show #2: Stranger In A Strange Land

As mentioned in the pre-show thread, Joe has been having problems with the science fiction classics, and the latest masterpiece he wasn’t impressed with is Robert Heinlein’s Stranger In A Strange Land. So, of course, I reread the book to refresh my memory, and remembered why I hadn’t previously reread the book in the nearly 20 years since I read it the first time. But as you’ll hear, it’s not all bad.

Joining Joe and myself for this discussion is David Moldawer, writer, videographer, and Dragon Page book reviewer.

Download KAMN Show #2

Books mentioned:

 

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Old School Knows No Bounds

My old school tendencies go way beyond scifi and fantasy when it comes to entertainment. I am a sucker for a good Western movie… I’ve loved them ever since I can remember.

So when I see a book like this on the shelves, I feel compelled to buy it. This one was bought more for the horse reference factor, but I also own The Western Reader, and a really obscure reference book called The Horse’s Name Was… by Terri Wear. A sort of encyclopedia of famous horses in history, fiction, television and movies, that would satisfy just about any trivia buff.