Re: [scifinoir2] Star Trek-style deflector shield to block radiation

2007-04-19 Thread Astromancer 
Shhh They didn't know!!!

Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  DANG IT! After I spent three *years* 
putting those laser platforms in orbit...

Brent Wodehouse [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6567709.stm

Space shield to block radiation

By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News, Preston

British scientists are planning to see whether a Star Trek-style deflector
shield could be built to protect astronauts from radiation.

They argue that magnetic shields could be deployed around spacecraft and
on the surfaces of planets to deflect harmful energised particles.

Several countries' space agencies have announced their intentions to
resume human exploration of the Solar System.

Scientists hope to mimic the magnetic field which protects the Earth.

Details have been presented at the Royal Astronomical Society's National
Astronomy Meeting in Preston, UK.

There are a variety of risks facing future space explorers, not least of
which is the cancer-causing radiation encountered when missions venture
beyond the protective magnetic envelope, or magnetosphere, which shields
the Earth against these energetic particles.

The Earth's magnetosphere deflects many of these particles; others are
largely absorbed by the atmosphere.

Between 1968 and 1973, the Apollo astronauts were only in space for about
10 days at a time.

They were simply lucky not to have been in space during a major eruption
on the Sun that would have flooded their spacecraft with deadly radiation.

Crew members on the International Space Station can retreat to a
thick-walled room during times of increased solar radiation.

Stable field

But these protective shelters would not be practical on long-duration
space journeys, since the drip-drip of energised particles is thought to
be as harmful to the health of astronauts as large solar storms.

The harmful particles come from the Sun, in the form of the solar wind,
and from sources outside our Solar System.

To create the deflector shield around a spacecraft or on the surface of a
planet or moon, scientists need to generate a magnetic field and then fill
it with ionised gas called plasma.

The plasma would held in place by a stable magnetic field (without the
magnetic field, the plasma would simply drift away). This shield could be
deployed around a spacecraft or around astronauts on the surface of a
planetary body such as the Moon.

As energetic particles interact with the plasma, energy is sapped away
from them and they slow down.

You don't need much of a magnetic field to hold off the solar wind. You
could produce the shield 20-30 kilometres away from the spacecraft,
explained Dr Ruth Bamford, from the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory in
Didcot, UK, one of the scientists on the team.

Dr Mike Hapgood, from the Didcot-based research centre, told BBC News:
The nice thing is that magnet technology is really quite evolved here on
Earth. The question is can you take it into space?'

The team from Rutherford-Appleton plans to build an artificial
magnetosphere in the laboratory. They would eventually like to fly a test
satellite which would test the technology in space.

'Shields on'

The idea has been likened to the deflector shields which protect the USS
Enterprise and other spacecraft in Star Trek. Like their fictional
counterparts, these shields could also be switched on and off.

An artificial magnetosphere could come in handy anywhere in the Solar
System where humans would need to be for long durations.

A permanent Moon base, of the type Nasa plans to build, could be buried
under lunar soil to protect the occupants and equipment from space
radiation. But inhabitants will still be vulnerable when venturing outside
in their spacesuits.

Our warning systems aren't very good [for solar flares]. You might be
able to say: 'this is a dangerous period in terms of solar activity', but
you might be on red alert for weeks, said Dr Hapgood.

If you've got a problem, you might not want to wait a week to fix it. You
might want a device to deploy on the surface as a shield that would blunt
the effect of a flare at ten minutes' notice, it adds an extra level of
safety.

The idea for the shields draws on technology pioneered in experimental
nuclear fusion reactors. Nuclear fusion is not yet a mature technology.

It works on the principle that energy can be released by forcing together
atomic nuclei rather than by splitting them, as in the case of the fission
reactions that drive existing nuclear power stations.

At the Jet experimental fusion facility at Culham in the UK, magnetic
fields were used to keep plasma away from the interior wall of the reactor.

This represents a reversal of that technology: We want to use the same
technique to keep an object in the middle away from plasma that's on the
outside, said Dr Bamford.

But the plasma needed to protect against particles from the solar wind and
elsewhere would actually be weaker than that generated in experimental
fusion

Re: [scifinoir2] Painkiller Jane Series Premiere

2007-04-19 Thread Astromancer 
And you're NOT alone...

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  I 
plead the 5th.

Tracey

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 wow, Tracey, you're bad as me: you'll sometimes watch almost anything 
 to get a scifi fix. if *you* hate it, it must be bad.

 -- Original message --
 From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
  

  Craptastic is being kind. there was a robot in it who was always dieing
  an coming back to life. They actor would crack/title his nect to the
  side whenever he came back. I wanted to break it for him.
 
  Tracey
 
  [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  
   Can't believe I've never seen this show, not even to dog it out. Was
   it as bad as the awful series Adrian Highlander Paul was in, the 
 one
   where he was tracking down rogue aliens on Earth, Alien Tracker?
  
   -- Original message --
   From: Martin   
   Keith, whyfor you insult Vulcans so?
  
   Seriously, this is nothing more in my eyes than Codename: Eternity
   (was that the name of that craptastic show?) with a slightly
   better-looking lead. *Slightly*...
  
   [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   Anyone catch this besides me? Man, this was just awful: cliched,
   predictable, boring. Some of the stuff that hit me from the start:
  
   * Kristanna Loken isn't a very good actress. She was stiff and
   delivered her lines with all the emotion of a Vulcan. Maybe it was 
 the
   dialogue and uninspired writing, which were sho' 'nuff problems,but I
   doubt it. But then, what reason is there to expect the latest
   Terminator to have acting ability?
  
   * Within five minutes of the opening, the show was in one of those
   cliched (using that word again!) underground rave-type clubs with the
   pulse-pounding music and young people from Central Casting posing and
   dancing wildly, while obvious bad guys skulk in their midst doing 
 drug
   deals. Truly one of the most overused scenes in such shows outside of
   strip clubs. Booorinng!
  
   * The first--and only, I might add--of the good guys to get killed 
 was
   a brother. Sad thing is, soon as I saw him I thought This show's
   gonna kill that Black man. Bingo! There is another Brother left, but
   of course he's older and out of shape, not young and/or hunky like 
 the
   rest of the cast. he was already punked by Jane. Surprise!
  
   * Will someone *Please* teach these new directors that herky-jerky 
 and
   tilting camera work is *not* a good way to add action to a scene? 
 Just
   makes it confused and amateurish-looking. Who's running film school
   these days, Michael Bay?!
  
   * The good guys are another one of those shadow-type groups that hang
   out in a hidden warehouse HQ with high-tech equipment, and who are
   answerable only to ourselves. How original!
  
   * There is of course a resident computer geek, and of course he's the
   oddball who wears stocking caps, tennis shoes, warmup suits, etc. 
 Just
   once nowadays I'd like to see an IT expert that's not pushing the Gen
   Y look.
  
   * The doctor on here appears to be Indian or Middle Eastern, but 
 has a
   British accent. I'm really getting tired of Indian, Pakistani, or 
 Arab
   characters with British accents. From Bashir on DS9 to Sayid on 
 Lost
   (who is British in real life and fakes an Iraqi accent)
   American-produced shows are replete with such characters who speak 
 the
   Queen's English or their native tongue with such an accent. Is 
 there
   a reason we can't get actors who actually *sound* like they're from
   their characters' country of origin?
  
   * Man, I think half the profits of the drug trade and the budget of
   government law enforcement agencies, must go to leather wear! Amazing
   how every henchman and supposedly underpaid government agent is
   wearing thousands of dollars worth of leather jackets and pants!
  
   Can you tell I wasn't impressed? There were several fights, all of
   which were dizzying (not in a good way) and too fast-paced. 
 Everyone's
   too busy posing and speaking bad lines as if they have sticks up 
 their
   arses. This show reminds me of the late, unlamented Mutant X, and
   that ain't a good thing. Not sure I'll watch this one again unless it
   improves drastically or I'm very bored.
  
   What did y'all think?
  
   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  
   #ygrp-mlmsg { FONT: x-small arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif }
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Re: [scifinoir2] MGM New SF films for DVD

2007-04-19 Thread KeithBJohnson 
I ain't feeling it, especially with the focus on young adults

-- Original message -- 
From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
Anybody else disappointed by the initial line-up?

Tracey

MGM Announces SF DVD Slate

MGM announced an ambitious development slate of new films for DVD, 
including science fiction titles aimed at young men and women, as well 
as two telemovies based on SCI FI Channel's Stargate SG-1: Stargate: The 
Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum.

The Ark of Truth began production on April 15, while Continuum, which 
will feature epic ice-camp scenes shot on location in the Arctic, will 
resume filming on May 15. The films will feature SG-1 stars Richard Dean 
Anderson, Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black 
and Michael Shanks.

MGM has plans to release 12 or more projects per year, primarily based 
on popular film and television franchises with wide appeal to 
young-adult entertainment consumers. A list of SFF MGM DVD titles under 
development follows.

•Audrey Rose, a remake of the 1977 supernatural suspense film, to be 
written by Andrea Meyer

•Pet, a horror-thriller written by Jeremy Slater

•Angelmaker, written by Alexander Vesha

•A new film based on Showtime's supernatural series Dead Like Me, 
written by Steven Godchaux and directed by Stephen Herek

•Species: The Awakening, the latest installment of the SF film franchise

•Wargames: The Dead Code, based on the 1983 movie WarGames

ww.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0id=41125


 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 
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Re: [scifinoir2] Season 7 of ‘Smallville’ could be last

2007-04-19 Thread KeithBJohnson 
Glad to hear it's finally ending. It jumped the shark awhile back to my mind: 
the continued Kryptonian relics in Smallville, Lana/Clark/Lex love triangle, 
the introduction of a whole bunch of people who shouldn't be in the picture 
(Lois Lane, Perry White, Oliver Queen, possibly Bruce Wayne), killing Johnathan 
Kent--it's been too much.
I'd love to see Clark finally leave for those Lost Years of journeying around 
the world.  
-- Original message -- 
From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
t’s been a busy year for Smallville.

Lois Lane (Erica Durance) hooked up with the Green Arrow (Justin 
Hartely), Clark (Tom Welling) helped form the Justice League, and Lana 
Lang (Kristen Kreuk) married the villain of the story who also happens 
to have a secret agenda of his own for their union.

And according to Michael Rosenbaum, who plays the twisted Lex Luthor on 
the series, it’s only going to get bigger. In an interview with 
JewReview, the actor confirmed that the seventh season (due on The CW 
this fall) will not only be the last season for the series, but it also 
will finally allow Lex to show his true face as the villain he was 
destined to become.

“That will be my final year,” said Rosenbaum. “Then I can hopefully 
delve into more comedies. For me, it’s great work and I think the show 
is getting intense as we go; Lex is inevitably getting darker, and next 
year is when he lets all his colors show.”

Rosenbaum was also enthusiastic about what he knows of the seventh 
season, hinting that it will be the “biggest year of all.”

“Smallville” is now in a position that is rare to find on TV these days, 
whereby the show actually knows its coming to an end rather than being 
axed by the network. This means the series will be able to plan for a 
grand finale and ensure all the characters get the send-off they deserve.

So what’s the secret, why has “Smallville” lasted so long? As far as 
Rosenbaum is concerned, it’s all down to the audience.

“The ratings are consistently high,” he said. “It’s great when you’re 
on 
a show that has that longevity, but it’s even better when a show’s 
ratings are so high; our show’s ratings are just as high as the first 
couple seasons. We’re creating more and more fans, and I know we’re 
going next year.”

However, playing a villain for seven long years is bound to have an 
impact on any actor, and Rosenbaum is no different. In the early years 
of the series, the actor said he struggled a little to keep the 
character of Lex Luthor confined to the series without him spilling over 
into his own life. But given time, keeping the two apart became easier.

“I was a little nervous in the first year, I was trying to find the 
character,” he said. “You want to please the audience, but you want to 
bring some humility to the character; I don’t want him to be a cartoon. 
I try to make every character I do, and that’s who he is – as long as 
you stay in that box. And I’ve been pretty lucky, but I guess, over the 
years it’s become easier and easier.”
http://www.jewreview.net/article.php?id=1315
http://www.syfyportal.com/news423523.html


 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 
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[scifinoir2] Nikki Giovanni Kicked Cho Seung-Hui Out of Class 2 Years Ago

2007-04-19 Thread Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
Prof thought of shooter
April 18, 2007 12:35 am
BY EDIE GROSS

Before police ever named the Virginia Tech gunman, Nikki Giovanni knew 
who it was.

The award-winning poet and long-time Virginia Tech professor had removed 
a student from her class two years ago because he threatened others. As 
the tragedy unfolded Monday, she thought of him.

When I heard about this, I thought I knew the shooter, Giovanni said 
yesterday. It wasn't that he was crazy. It's that he was mean.

Police identified Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old English senior from 
Northern Virginia, as the man who shot and killed 32 people at the 
university Monday before taking his own life.

Cho was a student in Giovanni's advanced poetry class at the same time 
as Colonial Forge High School graduate Tara Marciniak, who recalled that 
he often hid his face.

He came to class every day with dark glasses on and a baseball cap 
pulled over his head, said Marciniak, a senior. [Giovanni] asked him 
to take them off numerous times, but he never did.

The students would often sit in a large circle and exchange ideas, 
Marciniak said. One day, Cho snapped photos of all the students in the 
circle.

During the next class, he read a poem that many found disturbing.

He called everyone a 'barbarian' and said they're all going to go to 
hell, she said. I stopped going to class after that. I e-mailed 
[Giovanni] and said, 'I'm not real comfortable with this kid.'

After more students stopped coming, Giovanni said she asked 
then-department head Lucinda H. Roy to remove Cho from her class.

I said, 'He needs to get out of my classroom.' He was a scary fellow.

Giovanni said that Roy, who could not be reached, agreed to teach him 
one-on-one.

Giovanni said she never felt threatened by Cho but understood why his 
behavior bothered students.

I'm an old woman. He didn't frighten me. But I did understand the 
students' feelings, she said. It was all just extremely creepy.
Edie Gross: 540/374-5428
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright 2007 The Free Lance-Star 
Publishing Company.


 
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Scifiholic speaks out Re: [scifinoir2] Painkiller Jane Series Premiere

2007-04-19 Thread Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
The truth shall set me free huh?  OK, lemme give it a try.  But it the 
group starts to throw stones at me, it will be your fault. 

So, here is my confession,  While I have finally given up on decent 
scifi movies on Saturdays, when scifi channel first started the Saturday 
night D movie programming, I watched regularly for at least 8 weeks 
hoping that some of the movies would be good campy fun.  Even after I 
went cold turkey and stopped watching, I fell off the wagon at least six 
times.  However, I'm happy to report, that I have only watched two D 
movies straight through in the past 12 months. 

OK, your turn to 'fess up.

Tracey

Martin wrote:

 Tracey, not long after I chose the username I carry aound 'Net-wide, I 
 read a quote from someone (need to find out who), that went, In order 
 to seek the truth in all things, you have to *speak* the truth in all 
 things. If it's truly bad, lady, NEVER HOLD BACK. ;)

 Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
 [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 mailto:tdlists%40multiculturaladvantage.com wrote: I plead the 5th.

 Tracey

 [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net wrote:
 
  wow, Tracey, you're bad as me: you'll sometimes watch almost anything
  to get a scifi fix. if *you* hate it, it must be bad.
 
  -- Original message --
  From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)
   
 
   Craptastic is being kind. there was a robot in it who was always 
 dieing
   an coming back to life. They actor would crack/title his nect to the
   side whenever he came back. I wanted to break it for him.
  
   Tracey
  
   [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net wrote:
   
Can't believe I've never seen this show, not even to dog it out. Was
it as bad as the awful series Adrian Highlander Paul was in, the
  one
where he was tracking down rogue aliens on Earth, Alien Tracker?
   
-- Original message --
From: Martin   
Keith, whyfor you insult Vulcans so?
   
Seriously, this is nothing more in my eyes than Codename: Eternity
(was that the name of that craptastic show?) with a slightly
better-looking lead. *Slightly*...
   
[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:KeithBJohnson%40comcast.net 
 wrote:
Anyone catch this besides me? Man, this was just awful: cliched,
predictable, boring. Some of the stuff that hit me from the start:
   
* Kristanna Loken isn't a very good actress. She was stiff and
delivered her lines with all the emotion of a Vulcan. Maybe it was
  the
dialogue and uninspired writing, which were sho' 'nuff 
 problems,but I
doubt it. But then, what reason is there to expect the latest
Terminator to have acting ability?
   
* Within five minutes of the opening, the show was in one of those
cliched (using that word again!) underground rave-type clubs 
 with the
pulse-pounding music and young people from Central Casting 
 posing and
dancing wildly, while obvious bad guys skulk in their midst doing
  drug
deals. Truly one of the most overused scenes in such shows 
 outside of
strip clubs. Booorinng!
   
* The first--and only, I might add--of the good guys to get killed
  was
a brother. Sad thing is, soon as I saw him I thought This show's
gonna kill that Black man. Bingo! There is another Brother 
 left, but
of course he's older and out of shape, not young and/or hunky like
  the
rest of the cast. he was already punked by Jane. Surprise!
   
* Will someone *Please* teach these new directors that herky-jerky
  and
tilting camera work is *not* a good way to add action to a scene?
  Just
makes it confused and amateurish-looking. Who's running film school
these days, Michael Bay?!
   
* The good guys are another one of those shadow-type groups that 
 hang
out in a hidden warehouse HQ with high-tech equipment, and who are
answerable only to ourselves. How original!
   
* There is of course a resident computer geek, and of course 
 he's the
oddball who wears stocking caps, tennis shoes, warmup suits, etc.
  Just
once nowadays I'd like to see an IT expert that's not pushing 
 the Gen
Y look.
   
* The doctor on here appears to be Indian or Middle Eastern, but
  has a
British accent. I'm really getting tired of Indian, Pakistani, or
  Arab
characters with British accents. From Bashir on DS9 to Sayid on
  Lost
(who is British in real life and fakes an Iraqi accent)
American-produced shows are replete with such characters who speak
  the
Queen's English or their native tongue with such an accent. Is
  there
a reason we can't get actors who actually *sound* like they're from
their characters' country of origin?
   
* Man, I think half the profits of the drug trade and the budget of
government law enforcement agencies, must go to leather wear! 
 Amazing
how every henchman and supposedly underpaid government agent is
wearing

Re: [scifinoir2] Season 7 of ‘Smallville’ co uld be last

2007-04-19 Thread Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
I've missed some episodes, when did Bruce Wayne show up.  By the way I 
think smallville is big in Mexico, it came on Three times a day in 
syndication there.  Is it in syndication here in the states?

Tracey

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Glad to hear it's finally ending. It jumped the shark awhile back to my mind: 
 the continued Kryptonian relics in Smallville, Lana/Clark/Lex love triangle, 
 the introduction of a whole bunch of people who shouldn't be in the picture 
 (Lois Lane, Perry White, Oliver Queen, possibly Bruce Wayne), killing 
 Johnathan Kent--it's been too much.
 I'd love to see Clark finally leave for those Lost Years of journeying 
 around the world.  
 -- Original message -- 
 From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 t’s been a busy year for Smallville.

 Lois Lane (Erica Durance) hooked up with the Green Arrow (Justin 
 Hartely), Clark (Tom Welling) helped form the Justice League, and Lana 
 Lang (Kristen Kreuk) married the villain of the story who also happens 
 to have a secret agenda of his own for their union.

 And according to Michael Rosenbaum, who plays the twisted Lex Luthor on 
 the series, it’s only going to get bigger. In an interview with 
 JewReview, the actor confirmed that the seventh season (due on The CW 
 this fall) will not only be the last season for the series, but it also 
 will finally allow Lex to show his true face as the villain he was 
 destined to become.

 “That will be my final year,” said Rosenbaum. “Then I can hopefully 
 delve into more comedies. For me, it’s great work and I think the show 
 is getting intense as we go; Lex is inevitably getting darker, and next 
 year is when he lets all his colors show.”

 Rosenbaum was also enthusiastic about what he knows of the seventh 
 season, hinting that it will be the “biggest year of all.”

 “Smallville” is now in a position that is rare to find on TV these days, 
 whereby the show actually knows its coming to an end rather than being 
 axed by the network. This means the series will be able to plan for a 
 grand finale and ensure all the characters get the send-off they deserve.

 So what’s the secret, why has “Smallville” lasted so long? As far as 
 Rosenbaum is concerned, it’s all down to the audience.

 “The ratings are consistently high,” he said. “It’s great when 
 you’re on 
 a show that has that longevity, but it’s even better when a show’s 
 ratings are so high; our show’s ratings are just as high as the first 
 couple seasons. We’re creating more and more fans, and I know we’re 
 going next year.”

 However, playing a villain for seven long years is bound to have an 
 impact on any actor, and Rosenbaum is no different. In the early years 
 of the series, the actor said he struggled a little to keep the 
 character of Lex Luthor confined to the series without him spilling over 
 into his own life. But given time, keeping the two apart became easier.

 “I was a little nervous in the first year, I was trying to find the 
 character,” he said. “You want to please the audience, but you want to 
 bring some humility to the character; I don’t want him to be a cartoon. 
 I try to make every character I do, and that’s who he is – as long as 
 you stay in that box. And I’ve been pretty lucky, but I guess, over the 
 years it’s become easier and easier.”
 http://www.jewreview.net/article.php?id=1315
 http://www.syfyportal.com/news423523.html


  

 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



  
 Yahoo! Groups Links

Re: [scifinoir2] [Fwd: Music Execs Discuss Rap Lyrics]

2007-04-19 Thread Oyabun of Beats 

The music industry has been meeting privately about important  
issues since the 80s. Yet somehow Napster still came and knocked us  
on our behinds. The current music industry would do better  to  meet   
privately  to  discuss how to have a business now that Eliot Spitzer  
has exposed payola to the public.  Because the solution to both  
problems is the same: sign better quality stuff. Major labels do not  
have that  luxury.  Good art can't be manufactured by large  
corporations. To have a meeting where everybody  in attendance is  
wither  former or current Def Jam employees or has some contractual  
obligation to Universal  Music Group is pointless. How can you  have  
all these people there  and the only artist  is T.I.? Nobody has  
Chuck D's number anymore? Nobody can get Latifah on the phone? This  
is an issue that must  be addressed by the artistic community. The  
consuming public has already spoken.  When you put Whisper Song on  
in a club, it is WOMEN who get up and dance. That  programming comes  
from somewhere,  and it AIN'T Ying Yang Twins. This has become a  
political smokescreen.  The issue is racism. The arena is  
contemporary media. It's not the fault of a contractually  obligated  
individual  to produce a product that does not sell.


On Apr 19, 2007, at 12:04 PM, Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L.  
Minor) wrote:


  Original Message 
 Subject:  Music Execs Discuss Rap Lyrics
 Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:34:57 -0500
 From: Marsha Jackson [EMAIL PROTECTED]

 *http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070419/D8OJDDT00.html

 Music Execs Discuss Rap Lyrics
 *
 Apr 18, 10:40 PM (ET)

 By MARCUS FRANKLIN


 NEW YORK (AP) - In the wake of Don Imus' firing for his on-air slur
 about the Rutgers women's basketball team, a high-powered group of
 music-industry executives met privately Wednesday to discuss sexist  
 and
 misogynistic rap lyrics.

 During the furor that led to Imus' fall last week from his talk-radio
 perch, many of his critics carped as well about offensive language in
 rap music.

 The meeting, called by hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit
 Action Network, was held at the New York home of Lyor Cohen, chairman
 and chief executive of U.S. music at Warner Music Group. The summit,
 which lasted several hours, did not result in any specific initiative.

 Organizers billed the gathering as a forum to discuss issues
 challenging the industry in the wake of controversy surrounding hip- 
 hop
 and the First Amendment. Afterward, they planned to hold a news
 conference at a Manhattan hotel
 http://apnews1.iwon.com//article/20070419/D8OJDDT00.html# to discuss
 initiatives agreed upon at the meeting. But by early afternoon, the
 news conference was postponed, because the meeting was still going on.


 After the meeting ended, it was unclear whether there would be another
 one. Simmons' publicist released a short statement that described the
 topic as a complex issue that involves gender, race, culture and
 artistic expression. Everyone assembled today takes this issue very
 seriously.

 Although no recommendations emerged, the gathering was significant for
 its who's-who list of powerful music executives.

 According to a roster released by Simmons on Wednesday, attendees
 included: Kevin Liles, executive vice president, Warner Music; L.A.
 Reid, chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group; Sylvia Rhone,  
 president of
 Motown Records and executive vice president of Universal Music Group;
 Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry  
 Association of
 America; and Damon Dash, Jay-Z's former Roc-A-Fella Records partner.
 Top-selling rapper T.I. also attended, organizers said.

 Simmons declined to comment through a spokeswoman. But he appeared  
 this
 week with others at a two-day town hall meeting on The Oprah Winfrey
 Show to discuss the issue. While Simmons, Liles and the rapper Common
 agreed there is a problem, Simmons cautioned against trying to limit
 rappers' free-speech rights.

 He said that poets always come under fire for their unsanitized
 descriptions of the world.

 We're talking about a lot of these artists who come from the most
 extreme cases of poverty and ignorance ... And when they write a song,
 and they write it from their heart, and they're not educated, and they
 don't believe there's opportunity, they have a right, they have a  
 right
 to say what's on their mind, he said.

 Whether it's our sexism, our racism, our homophobia or our violence,
 the hip-hop community sometimes can be a good mirror of our dirt and
 sometimes the dirt that we try to cover up, Simmons said.  
 Pointing at
 the conditions that create these words from the rappers ... should be
 our No. 1 concern.

 Common said criticism of rappers and their music should come with  
 love.
 When I talk to the cats, regardless of rap, when I talk to cats on  
 the
 street, they don't wanna be in that situation, the rapper said. We
 don't wanna

[scifinoir2] Fw: The DISH Vol. 10 No 13 Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race

2007-04-19 Thread Amy 

[EMAIL PROTECTED]




 Dot's Information Service Hotline
 Unbossed and unbought news and information you can use
 Visit The DISH online at www.thedish.org
 Vol. 10 No 13...Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race... 03-30-07
 



 Table of Contents



 1. Intuit's Vibe...Democracy ...By Langston Hughes
 2. Hood Notes...Honoring Confederate Heritage
 3. Bit of History...Iraq Constitution (2003-2006)
 4. News You Use...Youthful Alzheimer's Sufferers
 5. Illusion and Freedom...By John Burl Smith
 6. Comments from the Bat Cave
 7. Disgruntled
 8. Mailbox



 **



 Intuit's Vibe
 Democracy
 By Langston Hughes



 Democracy will not come
 Today, this year
 Nor ever
 Through compromise and fear.



 I have as much right
 As the other fellow has
 To stand
 On my two feet
 And own the land.



 I tire so of hearing people say,
 Let things take their course.
 Tomorrow is another day.
 I do not need my freedom when I'm dead.
 I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.



 Freedom
 Is a strong seed
 Planted In a great need.
 I live here, too.
 I want freedom
 Just as you.







 Hood Notes
 Honoring Confederate Heritage



 On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court handed down its landmark ruling in
 Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, outlawing racial segregation in
 public schools.  The ruling struck down the separate but equal doctrine
 of Plessy v Ferguson (1896), which the Court ruled was inherently unequal.
 Outraged over the decision, southerners pledged massive resistance to
 Brown's implementation.



 In March 1956, nineteen (19) United States Senators, representing eleven
 states, and 77 members of the House of Representatives, including the
 entire Georgia delegation, signed the Southern Manifesto, which charged
 the Supreme Court with a clear abuse of judicial power.  Much like the
 southern states' efforts to preserve slavery, i.e., the southern way of
 life, during the Civil War, signatories of the manifesto pledged to fight
 the decision, which was seen as an unconstitutional encroachment on their
 southern heritage.
 As part of the global commemoration of the 1807 end of the Atlantic Slave
 Trade, several US state legislatures have passed legislation apologizing
 for their role in the inhumane institution.  In February, US Rep. Steve
 Cohen (D-TN) introduced legislation on the House floor calling on the US
 government to apologize for 246 years of slavery and 100 years of Jim Crow
 discrimination.  While it stopped short of an apology and far short of
 calling for reparations, Rep. Cohen commended the Virginia General
 Assembly for becoming the first state of the old Confederacy to express
 profound regret for the involuntary servitude of African-Americans and
 the exploitation of Native Americans.



 In response to the introduction of a resolution in Georgia's General
 Assembly calling for such an apology, Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) has expressed
 some reticence about issuing an apology for slavery and suggested the
 state should look forward, not back at the sins of the state's
 forefathers.
 State Senator Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) proposed a bill to recognize
 Georgia's Confederate history heritage.  If passed, the legislation will
 permanently establish the month of April for recognizing  Georgia's
 considerable role in efforts to maintain slavery and ongoing racial
 inequality.



 The slavery apology measure may never receive a vote.  Mullis' proposal,
 Senate Bill 283, has already received unanimous approval in the Senate
 Rules Committee.  The Senate Rules Committee now has only to decide if and
 when to bring it up for a vote before the full Senate.  If passed,
 Georgia's blacks will be honoring their ancestors' slave masters'
 confederate heritage during the month of April.








 Bit of History
 Iraq Constitution (2003-2006)



 Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and occupation of Iraq (2003) by
 US-led forces, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) effectively
 became the government of Iraq.   Proponents of the war touted the need to
 bring democracy to this troubled region of the world and free the Iraqi
 people as motivations for their actions when previous assertions, i.e.,
 weapons of mass destruction and ties to 9-11 terrorism, proved erroneous.



 Between December 2003 and March 2004, the CPA selected the Iraqi Governing
 Council, which drafted the interim Law of Administration for the State of
 Iraq for the Transitional Period (TAL).  In January 2005, national
 elections were held to select a National Assembly, which was charged with
 drafting Iraq's constitution.  With US assistance and a deadline for the
 draft's  completion, members of the Iraqi Constitutional Committee began
 work on the country's new laws in early February 2005.



 Fraught with controversy, sectarian tensions figured prominently in the
 process; the deadline for completion of the draft constitution had to be
 extended

Re: [scifinoir2] Season 7 of ‘Smallville’ could be last

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
Tracey, ABC Family started showing it this season. That's it insofar as I know.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  
I've missed some episodes, when did Bruce Wayne show up. By the way I 
think smallville is big in Mexico, it came on Three times a day in 
syndication there. Is it in syndication here in the states?

Tracey

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Glad to hear it's finally ending. It jumped the shark awhile back to my mind: 
 the continued Kryptonian relics in Smallville, Lana/Clark/Lex love triangle, 
 the introduction of a whole bunch of people who shouldn't be in the picture 
 (Lois Lane, Perry White, Oliver Queen, possibly Bruce Wayne), killing 
 Johnathan Kent--it's been too much.
 I'd love to see Clark finally leave for those Lost Years of journeying 
 around the world. 
 -- Original message -- 
 From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 t’s been a busy year for Smallville.

 Lois Lane (Erica Durance) hooked up with the Green Arrow (Justin 
 Hartely), Clark (Tom Welling) helped form the Justice League, and Lana 
 Lang (Kristen Kreuk) married the villain of the story who also happens 
 to have a secret agenda of his own for their union.

 And according to Michael Rosenbaum, who plays the twisted Lex Luthor on 
 the series, it’s only going to get bigger. In an interview with 
 JewReview, the actor confirmed that the seventh season (due on The CW 
 this fall) will not only be the last season for the series, but it also 
 will finally allow Lex to show his true face as the villain he was 
 destined to become.

 “That will be my final year,” said Rosenbaum. “Then I can 
 hopefully 
 delve into more comedies. For me, it’s great work and I think the show 
 is getting intense as we go; Lex is inevitably getting darker, and next 
 year is when he lets all his colors show.”

 Rosenbaum was also enthusiastic about what he knows of the seventh 
 season, hinting that it will be the “biggest year of all.”

 “Smallville” is now in a position that is rare to find on TV 
 these days, 
 whereby the show actually knows its coming to an end rather than being 
 axed by the network. This means the series will be able to plan for a 
 grand finale and ensure all the characters get the send-off they deserve.

 So what’s the secret, why has “Smallville” lasted so long? 
 As far as 
 Rosenbaum is concerned, it’s all down to the audience.

 “The ratings are consistently high,” he said. “It’s 
 great when you’re on 
 a show that has that longevity, but it’s even better when a 
 show’s 
 ratings are so high; our show’s ratings are just as high as the first 
 couple seasons. We’re creating more and more fans, and I know 
 we’re 
 going next year.”

 However, playing a villain for seven long years is bound to have an 
 impact on any actor, and Rosenbaum is no different. In the early years 
 of the series, the actor said he struggled a little to keep the 
 character of Lex Luthor confined to the series without him spilling over 
 into his own life. But given time, keeping the two apart became easier.

 “I was a little nervous in the first year, I was trying to find the 
 character,” he said. “You want to please the audience, but you 
 want to 
 bring some humility to the character; I don’t want him to be a 
 cartoon. 
 I try to make every character I do, and that’s who he is – as 
 long as 
 you stay in that box. And I’ve been pretty lucky, but I guess, over 
 the 
 years it’s become easier and easier.”
 http://www.jewreview.net/article.php?id=1315
 http://www.syfyportal.com/news423523.html


 

 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 
 Yahoo! Groups Links





 



 


There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get 
organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A 
Country
   
-
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible new car smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: Scifiholic speaks out Re: [scifinoir2] Painkiller Jane Series Premiere

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
In perfect honesty, I watch almost every Saturday. Always with the sound off 
(I'm weird that way, rarely watch TV with sound, relying on Closed Caption). At 
least every other week, I ahve to turn off the captioning, because I get too 
far into my MSTie rant and lose track of the program. I even write mini-reviews 
of some of the movies. Allow me to share the one from the spectacular Kaw.
   
  Never more. Never more. Seriously.
   
  It's the sole purpose behind my viewing them, having a list of movies to pick 
from when I realize my dream of restarting the MST3K franchise.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  The truth shall set me free huh? OK, lemme give it a try. But it the 
group starts to throw stones at me, it will be your fault. 

So, here is my confession, While I have finally given up on decent 
scifi movies on Saturdays, when scifi channel first started the Saturday 
night D movie programming, I watched regularly for at least 8 weeks 
hoping that some of the movies would be good campy fun. Even after I 
went cold turkey and stopped watching, I fell off the wagon at least six 
times. However, I'm happy to report, that I have only watched two D 
movies straight through in the past 12 months. 

OK, your turn to 'fess up.

Tracey

Martin wrote:

 Tracey, not long after I chose the username I carry aound 'Net-wide, I 
 read a quote from someone (need to find out who), that went, In order 
 to seek the truth in all things, you have to *speak* the truth in all 
 things. If it's truly bad, lady, NEVER HOLD BACK. ;)

 Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
   wrote: I plead the 5th.

 Tracey

 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 
  wow, Tracey, you're bad as me: you'll sometimes watch almost anything
  to get a scifi fix. if *you* hate it, it must be bad.
 
  -- Original message --
  From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)
   
 
   Craptastic is being kind. there was a robot in it who was always 
 dieing
   an coming back to life. They actor would crack/title his nect to the
   side whenever he came back. I wanted to break it for him.
  
   Tracey
  
   [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   
Can't believe I've never seen this show, not even to dog it out. Was
it as bad as the awful series Adrian Highlander Paul was in, the
  one
where he was tracking down rogue aliens on Earth, Alien Tracker?
   
-- Original message --
From: Martin   
Keith, whyfor you insult Vulcans so?
   
Seriously, this is nothing more in my eyes than Codename: Eternity
(was that the name of that craptastic show?) with a slightly
better-looking lead. *Slightly*...
   
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 wrote:
Anyone catch this besides me? Man, this was just awful: cliched,
predictable, boring. Some of the stuff that hit me from the start:
   
* Kristanna Loken isn't a very good actress. She was stiff and
delivered her lines with all the emotion of a Vulcan. Maybe it was
  the
dialogue and uninspired writing, which were sho' 'nuff 
 problems,but I
doubt it. But then, what reason is there to expect the latest
Terminator to have acting ability?
   
* Within five minutes of the opening, the show was in one of those
cliched (using that word again!) underground rave-type clubs 
 with the
pulse-pounding music and young people from Central Casting 
 posing and
dancing wildly, while obvious bad guys skulk in their midst doing
  drug
deals. Truly one of the most overused scenes in such shows 
 outside of
strip clubs. Booorinng!
   
* The first--and only, I might add--of the good guys to get killed
  was
a brother. Sad thing is, soon as I saw him I thought This show's
gonna kill that Black man. Bingo! There is another Brother 
 left, but
of course he's older and out of shape, not young and/or hunky like
  the
rest of the cast. he was already punked by Jane. Surprise!
   
* Will someone *Please* teach these new directors that herky-jerky
  and
tilting camera work is *not* a good way to add action to a scene?
  Just
makes it confused and amateurish-looking. Who's running film school
these days, Michael Bay?!
   
* The good guys are another one of those shadow-type groups that 
 hang
out in a hidden warehouse HQ with high-tech equipment, and who are
answerable only to ourselves. How original!
   
* There is of course a resident computer geek, and of course 
 he's the
oddball who wears stocking caps, tennis shoes, warmup suits, etc.
  Just
once nowadays I'd like to see an IT expert that's not pushing 
 the Gen
Y look.
   
* The doctor on here appears to be Indian or Middle Eastern, but
  has a
British accent. I'm really getting tired of Indian, Pakistani, or
  Arab
characters with British accents. From Bashir on DS9 to Sayid on
  Lost
(who is British in real life and fakes an Iraqi accent)

Re: [scifinoir2] Rhys-Davies Not in Indiana Jones IV

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
Add a few extra dumbs on that, lady.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  
DarkHorizons reported that Jonathan Rhys-Davies, who played Sallah in 
previous Indiana Jones movies, won't appear in the upcoming fourth 
installment. They did not even bother to tell him that he was written 
out to make room for a younger cast. how do you do that with Harrison 
Ford in the movie? know wonder they can't get Connery. I love this 
guy. I will miss him. Dumb, Dumb, dumb


Tracey

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news07/070416c.php



Yahoo! Groups Links






There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get 
organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A 
Country
   
-
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible new car smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [scifinoir2] MGM New SF films for DVD

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
I'm not feeling it, based on craptastical choices for movies.

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  I ain't feeling it, especially with the focus on 
young adults

-- Original message -- 
From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
Anybody else disappointed by the initial line-up?

Tracey

MGM Announces SF DVD Slate

MGM announced an ambitious development slate of new films for DVD, 
including science fiction titles aimed at young men and women, as well 
as two telemovies based on SCI FI Channel's Stargate SG-1: Stargate: The 
Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum.

The Ark of Truth began production on April 15, while Continuum, which 
will feature epic ice-camp scenes shot on location in the Arctic, will 
resume filming on May 15. The films will feature SG-1 stars Richard Dean 
Anderson, Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black 
and Michael Shanks.

MGM has plans to release 12 or more projects per year, primarily based 
on popular film and television franchises with wide appeal to 
young-adult entertainment consumers. A list of SFF MGM DVD titles under 
development follows.

•Audrey Rose, a remake of the 1977 supernatural suspense film, to be 
written by Andrea Meyer

•Pet, a horror-thriller written by Jeremy Slater

•Angelmaker, written by Alexander Vesha

•A new film based on Showtime's supernatural series Dead Like Me, 
written by Steven Godchaux and directed by Stephen Herek

•Species: The Awakening, the latest installment of the SF film franchise

•Wargames: The Dead Code, based on the 1983 movie WarGames

ww.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0id=41125




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




Yahoo! Groups Links






There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get 
organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A 
Country
   
-
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible new car smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [scifinoir2] Despite cast shakeup Dr Who still popular

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
And it's even bigger this season. The third ep of the new series was postponed 
bya  football game, and the protests from fans lit up the BBC3 switchboards all 
night long.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  
When the 1980s ended, it seemed as if the world had somehow had enough 
of Doctor Who. Many believed that the stories had fallen out of 
luster, and that was just from the people who had yet to outgrow the 
series and noticed it was still even on.

Revival attempts were bantied about in the nearly two decades that 
followed, but even then, no one believed that Doctor Who would return 
to the top of the ratings heap in the United Kingdom. The thing is, it 
has -- even after a major cast shakeup the past two seasons.

The third season of Doctor Who featuring David Tennant and Freema 
Agyeman is surprising analysts across the island as it continues to 
bring in more than 8 million viewers each week, giving it an audience 
share of around 40 percent, Variety reports. While 8 million might be 
considered a good average audience in the United States, in Queen 
Elizabeth II country, that makes it one of the highest rated television 
programs, and probably makes BBC wish they could insert some commercials.

There was a tremendous amount of excitement when the series returned in 
2005 with Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor and Billie Piper as his 
companion, Rose Tyler. And fans quickly fell in love with both 
characters and their portrayers. But that lineup would only last one 
season. And in fact, by the time the third season began on BBC One a few 
weeks ago, both actors were long gone. But the viewers weren't. Only 
Coronation Street and EastEnders -- two very popular soap operas -- 
get better ratings in the United Kingdom, Variety reported.

With the return of the Daleks and a season finale producers say will 
make previous finales look like walks in the park, it looks like Doctor 
Who will be around for a long time to come.

Doctor Who airs Saturdays on BBC One, and is expected to begin airing 
in the United States on SciFi Channel in the fall.
http://www.syfyportal.com/news423534.html



Yahoo! Groups Links






There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get 
organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A 
Country
   
-
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible new car smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [scifinoir2] J.R.R. Tolkien to publish new book 30 years after his death

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
What took him so long? V.C. Andrews has been publishing regularly since she 
died, never stopped.
   
  Seriously, I'll take a look at it at the bookstore next time I'm out. When it 
comes out, that is.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  J.R.R. Tolkien is about to publish a new book

Studios Stalk Tolkien's Hurin

More than 30 years after his death, J.R.R. Tolkien is about to publish a 
new book, The Children of Hurin, and Hollywood studios are already 
interested in acquiring film rights, the Reuters news service reported. 
The book goes on sale April 17.

Tolkien's son and literary executor, Christopher, now in his 80s, 
constructed The Children of Hurin from his father's manuscripts and said 
he tried to do so without any editorial invention. Tolkien is the 
author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The story is set long before The Lord of the Rings in a part of 
Middle-earth that was drowned before Hobbits ever appeared, and tells 
the tragic tale of Turin and his sister, Nienor, who are cursed by 
Morgoth, the first Dark Lord.

David Brawn, director at Tolkien publisher HarperCollins, told Reuters 
that the initial worldwide print run for the new book, featuring 
illustrations by Oscar winner Alan Lee, was 500,000 and added that 
Hollywood studios are eager to buy the film rights of the new book.

We all want this first and foremost to enjoy life as a book, Brawn 
told Reuters. No one's saying never to a film, [but] the film rights 
are reserved by the estate. We want to see what reaction it gets and 
then let it run its course.

http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0id=41123



Yahoo! Groups Links






There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get 
organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A 
Country
   
-
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible new car smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [scifinoir2] MGM New SF films for DVD

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
Bitterly. Originality would be greatly appreciated.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  
Anybody else disappointed by the initial line-up?

Tracey

MGM Announces SF DVD Slate

MGM announced an ambitious development slate of new films for DVD, 
including science fiction titles aimed at young men and women, as well 
as two telemovies based on SCI FI Channel's Stargate SG-1: Stargate: The 
Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum.

The Ark of Truth began production on April 15, while Continuum, which 
will feature epic ice-camp scenes shot on location in the Arctic, will 
resume filming on May 15. The films will feature SG-1 stars Richard Dean 
Anderson, Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black 
and Michael Shanks.

MGM has plans to release 12 or more projects per year, primarily based 
on popular film and television franchises with wide appeal to 
young-adult entertainment consumers. A list of SFF MGM DVD titles under 
development follows.

•Audrey Rose, a remake of the 1977 supernatural suspense film, to be 
written by Andrea Meyer

•Pet, a horror-thriller written by Jeremy Slater

•Angelmaker, written by Alexander Vesha

•A new film based on Showtime's supernatural series Dead Like Me, 
written by Steven Godchaux and directed by Stephen Herek

•Species: The Awakening, the latest installment of the SF film franchise

•Wargames: The Dead Code, based on the 1983 movie WarGames

ww.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0id=41125



 


There is no reason Good can't triumph over Evil, if only angels will get 
organized along the lines of the Mafia. -Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without A 
Country
   
-
Ahhh...imagining that irresistible new car smell?
 Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re: [scifinoir2] Painkiller Jane Series Premiere

2007-04-19 Thread Martin 
Come on, pal. You know what they say about pain shared...more pain to go 
around. ;)

Astromancer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  And you're NOT alone...

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I 
plead the 5th.

Tracey

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 wow, Tracey, you're bad as me: you'll sometimes watch almost anything 
 to get a scifi fix. if *you* hate it, it must be bad.

 -- Original message --
 From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
  

  Craptastic is being kind. there was a robot in it who was always dieing
  an coming back to life. They actor would crack/title his nect to the
  side whenever he came back. I wanted to break it for him.
 
  Tracey
 
  [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  
   Can't believe I've never seen this show, not even to dog it out. Was
   it as bad as the awful series Adrian Highlander Paul was in, the 
 one
   where he was tracking down rogue aliens on Earth, Alien Tracker?
  
   -- Original message --
   From: Martin   
   Keith, whyfor you insult Vulcans so?
  
   Seriously, this is nothing more in my eyes than Codename: Eternity
   (was that the name of that craptastic show?) with a slightly
   better-looking lead. *Slightly*...
  
   [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   Anyone catch this besides me? Man, this was just awful: cliched,
   predictable, boring. Some of the stuff that hit me from the start:
  
   * Kristanna Loken isn't a very good actress. She was stiff and
   delivered her lines with all the emotion of a Vulcan. Maybe it was 
 the
   dialogue and uninspired writing, which were sho' 'nuff problems,but I
   doubt it. But then, what reason is there to expect the latest
   Terminator to have acting ability?
  
   * Within five minutes of the opening, the show was in one of those
   cliched (using that word again!) underground rave-type clubs with the
   pulse-pounding music and young people from Central Casting posing and
   dancing wildly, while obvious bad guys skulk in their midst doing 
 drug
   deals. Truly one of the most overused scenes in such shows outside of
   strip clubs. Booorinng!
  
   * The first--and only, I might add--of the good guys to get killed 
 was
   a brother. Sad thing is, soon as I saw him I thought This show's
   gonna kill that Black man. Bingo! There is another Brother left, but
   of course he's older and out of shape, not young and/or hunky like 
 the
   rest of the cast. he was already punked by Jane. Surprise!
  
   * Will someone *Please* teach these new directors that herky-jerky 
 and
   tilting camera work is *not* a good way to add action to a scene? 
 Just
   makes it confused and amateurish-looking. Who's running film school
   these days, Michael Bay?!
  
   * The good guys are another one of those shadow-type groups that hang
   out in a hidden warehouse HQ with high-tech equipment, and who are
   answerable only to ourselves. How original!
  
   * There is of course a resident computer geek, and of course he's the
   oddball who wears stocking caps, tennis shoes, warmup suits, etc. 
 Just
   once nowadays I'd like to see an IT expert that's not pushing the Gen
   Y look.
  
   * The doctor on here appears to be Indian or Middle Eastern, but 
 has a
   British accent. I'm really getting tired of Indian, Pakistani, or 
 Arab
   characters with British accents. From Bashir on DS9 to Sayid on 
 Lost
   (who is British in real life and fakes an Iraqi accent)
   American-produced shows are replete with such characters who speak 
 the
   Queen's English or their native tongue with such an accent. Is 
 there
   a reason we can't get actors who actually *sound* like they're from
   their characters' country of origin?
  
   * Man, I think half the profits of the drug trade and the budget of
   government law enforcement agencies, must go to leather wear! Amazing
   how every henchman and supposedly underpaid government agent is
   wearing thousands of dollars worth of leather jackets and pants!
  
   Can you tell I wasn't impressed? There were several fights, all of
   which were dizzying (not in a good way) and too fast-paced. 
 Everyone's
   too busy posing and speaking bad lines as if they have sticks up 
 their
   arses. This show reminds me of the late, unlamented Mutant X, and
   that ain't a good thing. Not sure I'll watch this one again unless it
   improves drastically or I'm very bored.
  
   What did y'all think?
  
   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  
   #ygrp-mlmsg { FONT: x-small arial,helvetica,clean,sans-serif }
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[scifinoir2] Spider-Man: The Musical

2007-04-19 Thread Oyabun of Beats 
from today's Hollywood Reporter:

Marvel spins Spider-Man into Broadway musical
By Borys Kit

April 20, 2007
Get ready for Spider-Man: The Broadway Musical.

That may not be the official title, but Marvel Studios is putting the  
pieces together for a musical on the Great White Way starring the  
popular superhero, which will be directed by Tony winner Julie  
Taymor, with U2's Bono and the Edge creating new music and lyrics for  
the project.

Auditions are taking place, and a reading is scheduled for the  
summer. No dates for a Broadway opening have been set.

Producing are Hello Entertainment/David Garfinkle, Martin McCallum,  
Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment. In addition to  
co-producing the show, Hello Entertainment is arranging all financing  
for the project.

While the Spider-Man musical marks the first time a Marvel character  
has been the subject of a Broadway show, it's not the first time a  
superhero has hit the stage. Superman was in the spotlight of It's a  
Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman, which opened at the Alvin Theatre  
in 1966. Despite fairly positive reviews, it closed a few months later.

Before becoming Marvel chairman, David Maisel spearheaded the 1999  
best musical Tony winner Fosse.

Taymor won two Tonys for direction and costume design for the  
Broadway production of The Lion King.

Re: [scifinoir2] Season 7 of �Smallville could be last

2007-04-19 Thread KeithBJohnson 
Bruce Wayne hasn't shown up, but they've been talking about him making an 
appearance. I'm not surprised it's popular in Mexico. It's not a *bad* show, 
just one that's run a lot of plotlines into the ground. I really feel the loss 
of Johnathan Kent. I guess they wanted to bring the show in line with the 
(mistaken) plot of the films, where Johnathan is dead. The old WB used to show 
old eps on Sunday evenings, but don't think it's done so since the advent of 
the CW network. Here in Atlanta, reruns of the show are aired around 2 am on 
the local ABC affiliate.

-- Original message -- 
From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
I've missed some episodes, when did Bruce Wayne show up. By the way I 
think smallville is big in Mexico, it came on Three times a day in 
syndication there. Is it in syndication here in the states?

Tracey

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Glad to hear it's finally ending. It jumped the shark awhile back to my mind: 
 the continued Kryptonian relics in Smallville, Lana/Clark/Lex love triangle, 
 the introduction of a whole bunch of people who shouldn't be in the picture 
 (Lois Lane, Perry White, Oliver Queen, possibly Bruce Wayne), killing 
 Johnathan Kent--it's been too much.
 I'd love to see Clark finally leave for those Lost Years of journeying 
 around the world. 
 -- Original message -- 
 From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 t’s been a busy year for Smallville.

 Lois Lane (Erica Durance) hooked up with the Green Arrow (Justin 
 Hartely), Clark (Tom Welling) helped form the Justice League, and Lana 
 Lang (Kristen Kreuk) married the villain of the story who also happens 
 to have a secret agenda of his own for their union.

 And according to Michael Rosenbaum, who plays the twisted Lex Luthor on 
 the series, it’s only going to get bigger. In an interview with 
 JewReview, the actor confirmed that the seventh season (due on The CW 
 this fall) will not only be the last season for the series, but it also 
 will finally allow Lex to show his true face as the villain he was 
 destined to become.

 “That will be my final year,” said Rosenbaum. “Then I can 
 hopefully 
 delve into more comedies. For me, it’s great work and I think the show 
 is getting intense as we go; Lex is inevitably getting darker, and next 
 year is when he lets all his colors show.”

 Rosenbaum was also enthusiastic about what he knows of the seventh 
 season, hinting that it will be the “biggest year of all.”

 “Smallville” is now in a position that is rare to find on TV 
 these days, 
 whereby the show actually knows its coming to an end rather than being 
 axed by the network. This means the series will be able to plan for a 
 grand finale and ensure all the characters get the send-off they deserve.

 So what’s the secret, why has “Smallville” lasted so long? 
 As far as 
 Rosenbaum is concerned, it’s all down to the audience.

 “The ratings are consistently high,” he said. “It’s 
 great when you’re on 
 a show that has that longevity, but it’s even better when a 
 show’s 
 ratings are so high; our show’s ratings are just as high as the first 
 couple seasons. We’re creating more and more fans, and I know 
 we’re 
 going next year.”

 However, playing a villain for seven long years is bound to have an 
 impact on any actor, and Rosenbaum is no different. In the early years 
 of the series, the actor said he struggled a little to keep the 
 character of Lex Luthor confined to the series without him spilling over 
 into his own life. But given time, keeping the two apart became easier.

 “I was a little nervous in the first year, I was trying to find the 
 character,” he said. “You want to please the audience, but you 
 want to 
 bring some humility to the character; I don’t want him to be a 
 cartoon. 
 I try to make every character I do, and that’s who he is – as 
 long as 
 you stay in that box. And I’ve been pretty lucky, but I guess, over 
 the 
 years it’s become easier and easier.”
 http://www.jewreview.net/article.php?id=1315
 http://www.syfyportal.com/news423523.html


 

 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 
 Yahoo! Groups Links





 


 

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



 
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Re: Scifiholic speaks out Re: [scifinoir2] Painkiller Jane Series Premiere

2007-04-19 Thread KeithBJohnson 
did you see the crap with Robert Chakotay Beltran from Voyager? It was about 
a sentient fire creature running around immolating people. Junk! Then there was 
the one about gargoyles, which was yet another of the SciFi Originals with 
incredibly bad FX. Why are their films sporting CGI that looks ten years out of 
date? seriousl, I've seen better on home PCs

-- Original message -- 
From: Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] 
In perfect honesty, I watch almost every Saturday. Always with the sound off 
(I'm weird that way, rarely watch TV with sound, relying on Closed Caption). At 
least every other week, I ahve to turn off the captioning, because I get too 
far into my MSTie rant and lose track of the program. I even write mini-reviews 
of some of the movies. Allow me to share the one from the spectacular Kaw.

Never more. Never more. Seriously.

It's the sole purpose behind my viewing them, having a list of movies to pick 
from when I realize my dream of restarting the MST3K franchise.

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
The truth shall set me free huh? OK, lemme give it a try. But it the 
group starts to throw stones at me, it will be your fault. 

So, here is my confession, While I have finally given up on decent 
scifi movies on Saturdays, when scifi channel first started the Saturday 
night D movie programming, I watched regularly for at least 8 weeks 
hoping that some of the movies would be good campy fun. Even after I 
went cold turkey and stopped watching, I fell off the wagon at least six 
times. However, I'm happy to report, that I have only watched two D 
movies straight through in the past 12 months. 

OK, your turn to 'fess up.

Tracey

Martin wrote:

 Tracey, not long after I chose the username I carry aound 'Net-wide, I 
 read a quote from someone (need to find out who), that went, In order 
 to seek the truth in all things, you have to *speak* the truth in all 
 things. If it's truly bad, lady, NEVER HOLD BACK. ;)

 Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
   wrote: I plead the 5th.

 Tracey

 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 
  wow, Tracey, you're bad as me: you'll sometimes watch almost anything
  to get a scifi fix. if *you* hate it, it must be bad.
 
  -- Original message --
  From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor)
   
 
   Craptastic is being kind. there was a robot in it who was always 
 dieing
   an coming back to life. They actor would crack/title his nect to the
   side whenever he came back. I wanted to break it for him.
  
   Tracey
  
   [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   
Can't believe I've never seen this show, not even to dog it out. Was
it as bad as the awful series Adrian Highlander Paul was in, the
  one
where he was tracking down rogue aliens on Earth, Alien Tracker?
   
-- Original message --
From: Martin   
Keith, whyfor you insult Vulcans so?
   
Seriously, this is nothing more in my eyes than Codename: Eternity
(was that the name of that craptastic show?) with a slightly
better-looking lead. *Slightly*...
   
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
 wrote:
Anyone catch this besides me? Man, this was just awful: cliched,
predictable, boring. Some of the stuff that hit me from the start:
   
* Kristanna Loken isn't a very good actress. She was stiff and
delivered her lines with all the emotion of a Vulcan. Maybe it was
  the
dialogue and uninspired writing, which were sho' 'nuff 
 problems,but I
doubt it. But then, what reason is there to expect the latest
Terminator to have acting ability?
   
* Within five minutes of the opening, the show was in one of those
cliched (using that word again!) underground rave-type clubs 
 with the
pulse-pounding music and young people from Central Casting 
 posing and
dancing wildly, while obvious bad guys skulk in their midst doing
  drug
deals. Truly one of the most overused scenes in such shows 
 outside of
strip clubs. Booorinng!
   
* The first--and only, I might add--of the good guys to get killed
  was
a brother. Sad thing is, soon as I saw him I thought This show's
gonna kill that Black man. Bingo! There is another Brother 
 left, but
of course he's older and out of shape, not young and/or hunky like
  the
rest of the cast. he was already punked by Jane. Surprise!
   
* Will someone *Please* teach these new directors that herky-jerky
  and
tilting camera work is *not* a good way to add action to a scene?
  Just
makes it confused and amateurish-looking. Who's running film school
these days, Michael Bay?!
   
* The good guys are another one of those shadow-type groups that 
 hang
out in a hidden warehouse HQ with high-tech equipment, and who are
answerable only to ourselves. How original!
   
* There is of course a resident computer geek, and of course 
 he's the
oddball who wears stocking caps, tennis

Re: [scifinoir2] Painkiller Jane Series Premiere

2007-04-19 Thread Astromancer 
A helluva surplus...

Martin [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  Come on, pal. You know what they say 
about pain shared...more pain to go around. ;)

Astromancer [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: And you're NOT alone...

Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I 
plead the 5th.

Tracey

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 wow, Tracey, you're bad as me: you'll sometimes watch almost anything 
 to get a scifi fix. if *you* hate it, it must be bad.

 -- Original message --
 From: Tracey de Morsella (formerly Tracey L. Minor) 
  

  Craptastic is being kind. there was a robot in it who was always dieing
  an coming back to life. They actor would crack/title his nect to the
  side whenever he came back. I wanted to break it for him.
 
  Tracey
 
  [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
  
   Can't believe I've never seen this show, not even to dog it out. Was
   it as bad as the awful series Adrian Highlander Paul was in, the 
 one
   where he was tracking down rogue aliens on Earth, Alien Tracker?
  
   -- Original message --
   From: Martin   
   Keith, whyfor you insult Vulcans so?
  
   Seriously, this is nothing more in my eyes than Codename: Eternity
   (was that the name of that craptastic show?) with a slightly
   better-looking lead. *Slightly*...
  
   [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   Anyone catch this besides me? Man, this was just awful: cliched,
   predictable, boring. Some of the stuff that hit me from the start:
  
   * Kristanna Loken isn't a very good actress. She was stiff and
   delivered her lines with all the emotion of a Vulcan. Maybe it was 
 the
   dialogue and uninspired writing, which were sho' 'nuff problems,but I
   doubt it. But then, what reason is there to expect the latest
   Terminator to have acting ability?
  
   * Within five minutes of the opening, the show was in one of those
   cliched (using that word again!) underground rave-type clubs with the
   pulse-pounding music and young people from Central Casting posing and
   dancing wildly, while obvious bad guys skulk in their midst doing 
 drug
   deals. Truly one of the most overused scenes in such shows outside of
   strip clubs. Booorinng!
  
   * The first--and only, I might add--of the good guys to get killed 
 was
   a brother. Sad thing is, soon as I saw him I thought This show's
   gonna kill that Black man. Bingo! There is another Brother left, but
   of course he's older and out of shape, not young and/or hunky like 
 the
   rest of the cast. he was already punked by Jane. Surprise!
  
   * Will someone *Please* teach these new directors that herky-jerky 
 and
   tilting camera work is *not* a good way to add action to a scene? 
 Just
   makes it confused and amateurish-looking. Who's running film school
   these days, Michael Bay?!
  
   * The good guys are another one of those shadow-type groups that hang
   out in a hidden warehouse HQ with high-tech equipment, and who are
   answerable only to ourselves. How original!
  
   * There is of course a resident computer geek, and of course he's the
   oddball who wears stocking caps, tennis shoes, warmup suits, etc. 
 Just
   once nowadays I'd like to see an IT expert that's not pushing the Gen
   Y look.
  
   * The doctor on here appears to be Indian or Middle Eastern, but 
 has a
   British accent. I'm really getting tired of Indian, Pakistani, or 
 Arab
   characters with British accents. From Bashir on DS9 to Sayid on 
 Lost
   (who is British in real life and fakes an Iraqi accent)
   American-produced shows are replete with such characters who speak 
 the
   Queen's English or their native tongue with such an accent. Is 
 there
   a reason we can't get actors who actually *sound* like they're from
   their characters' country of origin?
  
   * Man, I think half the profits of the drug trade and the budget of
   government law enforcement agencies, must go to leather wear! Amazing
   how every henchman and supposedly underpaid government agent is
   wearing thousands of dollars worth of leather jackets and pants!
  
   Can you tell I wasn't impressed? There were several fights, all of
   which were dizzying (not in a good way) and too fast-paced. 
 Everyone's
   too busy posing and speaking bad lines as if they have sticks up 
 their
   arses. This show reminds me of the late, unlamented Mutant X, and
   that ain't a good thing. Not sure I'll watch this one again unless it
   improves drastically or I'm very bored.
  
   What did y'all think?
  
   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  
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