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Copyright 1994, Cyberspace Vanguard Magazine
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| C Y B E R S P A C E |
| V A N G U A R D |
| News and Views of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Universe |
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| cn577@cleveland.freenet.edu Cyberspace Vanguard@1:157/564 |
| PO Box 25704, Garfield Hts., OH 44125 USA |
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| TJ Goldstein, Editor Sarah Alexander, Administrator |
| tlg4@po.cwru.edu aa746@po.cwru.edu |
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Volume 2 March 31, 1994 Issue 2
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
--!1!-- Ramblings of a Deranged Editor (and a few deranged readers ...)
--!2!-- Travelling the Cyber-Highway with William Gibson
--!3!-- Stephanie Beacham: Dr. Westphalen's Cure For SEAQUEST'S Ills
--!4!-- Getting Blown Up for Fun and Profit: The Indiana Jones Epic
Stunt Spectacular
--!5!-- Mind Uploading: Downloading Your Brain to a Machine
--!6!-- The Business Side of Conventions: Building a Better Hotel
Relationship
--!7!-- Reviews by Evelyn C. Leeper/Mini-Reviews
--!8!-- The Infamous Reply Cards and What You Said
--!9!-- SF Calendar: What's Coming Up in the Near Future
--!10!-- Shoelaces of Truth: The News, The Whole News, and Nothing but the
News
--!11!-- Spoilers Ahoy! (And season 3 of the TWILIGHT ZONE Episode Guide)
--!12!-- Contests and Awards
--!13!-- Conventions and Readings
--!14!-- Publications, Lists and the like
--!15!-- Administrivia
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REPOSTING information: CYBERSPACE VANGUARD may be reposted IN ITS ENTIRETY
anywhere and everywhere without further permission, but we would appreciate
knowing where it's going so we can keep track. We would also like you to
post the reply card along with the issue. All rights revert to the
authors upon publication, however, so we insist on being contacted for
permission to repost individual articles. News items may be reposted
without further permission, but must include our contact information.
CYBERSPACE VANGUARD: News and Views of the Science Fiction and Fantasy
Universe is registered with the United States Copyright Office.
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--!1!-- Ramblings of a Deranged Editor (and a few deranged readers ...)
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There's been some sort of merging of realities lately, but except for
a small part of the back of my mind, I haven't really noticed. Oh,
intellectually I knew that the net was becoming more and more prevalent in
The Real World, but still I took refuge in my little corner of
cyber-reality, secure in the knowledge that while they would find us
someday, that someday wasn't here yet.
It's here.
It started with a trickle, a not even noticed increase in subscription
requests. A couple every few days. Then, all of a sudden, there was an
explosion, a constant stream sometimes as high as 10 in one day. And
that's without having a new issue out. Now, I like this little project,
but I was beginning to suspect that there was something going on I didn't
know about, especially as the number of subscribers edged over 1000. I was
right.
First I got a request mentioning that the person had seen us listed in
ONLINE ACCESS. I was surprised to find out that this was an actual paper
magazine and not an electronic listing, which I was used to. Then I was
told we were listed in NETGUIDE and was shocked to find, in my local
bookstore, that this was a real live BOOK that had us listed. (True, we
were under "Cyberpunk" and not "Science Fiction," but hey, I was too
surprised to complain.) By the time I got several messages mentioning our
listing in THE INTERNET DIRECTORY (which I also didn't know about) I was
merely pleasantly surprised.
So perhaps it's only fitting that this issue, as we marvel at the
merging of physical space with cyberspace, we hear from the man who
invented the term, WILLIAM GIBSON, who's Sprawl novels have become, in some
sense, a standard for everything else to follow. Gibson is probably one of
the few people in history to be the acknowledged father of a movement that
isn't believed to exist by the people supposedly in it.
We're also going to hear from STEPHANIE BEACHAM, who plays Dr.
Westphalen on SEAQUEST. For years people have been talking about the lack
of strong women role models in science fiction, and she's got some thoughts
on the matter.
And speaking of the real world, I've been thinking about a con that
goes on near here. This year events will include panels and workshops, art
show and auction, masquerade and dance, 90 table dealer's room, filking,
and gaming. Most cons have that. But this one will also be host to free
laser shoot 'em up games courtesy of Q-ZAR, computer gaming, a psychic
fair, virtual reality demo, SETI tour, two 24-hour video rooms,
Japanimation, "Channel 12", the in-house 24-hour "B" Movie channel and
babysitting. So how did they manage to convince a hotel to let them do all
that? Steve Schwartz, chairman of Marcon 29 and its hotel liason for many
years, took some time to explain how to develop a good relationship between
your convention and the hotel you hold it in. (Marcon, BTW, is being held
May 13-15 this year. For more details, see the convention listings
section.)
We've also got the beginnings of some new sections, with the second of
our (hopefully) regular science pieces -- this one on "mind uploading", or
transferring your mind, intact, to a computer -- and the addition of "mini-
reviews" to allow us to give you more reviews. (As with the rest of the
magazine, both of these sections are open to anyone. If you're interested
in doing mini-reviews or any other type of article, let us know!)
So, having said that, let's get to some reader comments:
"Keep up the same good work. No criticism of the present contents tho'
of course a lot of the spoilers are irrelevant for me (and other non-US
subscribers) cause we don't get the shows here - or are several seasons
behind but this is not something you can do anything about as besides I
imagine most of your subscribers are from the us. I am quite impressed
by the WIDE range of topics that are covered in the issues from ghosts
to biosphere and more. This catholic taste is, I think, a strength of
the zine. Perhaps one thing that could be added is the occasional
prose/poem. I'm sure there's plenty of budding writers out there - one
only has to look at the *.creative groups to see that! While the idea
of the zine does seem to be "news and views and humour" I would think a
bit of "more serious" fiction would enhance things. I have seen such
format elsewhere & it does come across quite good. And before you
suggest it ..."Damnit I'm a chemist, not an author!" :) Alas to my
regret I can't help out there. :)"
---- David Powell
[From the editor: Interesting perspective on the spoilers. I know that
many of the serious fans here especially enjoy getting despriptions of
shows that haven't aired here yet because it gives us a feeling of being
clued in depite our not having seen the actual show.
As for fiction ... (sighs heavily from lack of sleep) ... it's a topic
that's been brought up before. There are just two problems: First, this
thing is so large already that it would either have to be VERY short
fiction or it would have to wait until the time that we are up to speed
with enough help to go monthly again. The second problem is that ye olde
editor barely has enough time to put this thing together in the first
place. Help in screening submissions would definitely be required before
it could even be considered. HOWEVER: If there's enough interest in the
idea, I promise to attempt to find the help and make it work. This
magazine belongs to the readers, too. So if you'd like to see perhaps a
story per issue, let us know. Also let us know if you don't have any
interest in the idea. (We've also been tossing around the suggestion of a
fiction contest, but again, only if people really want it.) ---- TJ]
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WORLD WATCH:
Since we have nudged over 1000 in direct subscribers, we thought we'd
update the list of countries that are receiving CV. We know we've got
readers in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, England, Ireland,
Spain, France, Belgium, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Greece, Poland,
Germany, Russia, South Africa, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Italy, Malta,
Austrailia, New Zealand, Argentina, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland,
and Slovenia just via Internet. If you're reading this from another
country, please let us know, either by electronic or regular mail. We know
there are more out there.
--------
On a personal note: I'd like to take a moment to congratulate Debra and
Matt Hisle on the birth of their son Timothy Lincoln on March 11, 1994.
Debra has been with us since the very beginning, and we are thrilled to
share her joy with all of you.
---- Tj Goldstein, Editor
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--!2!-- Travelling the Cyber-Highway with William Gibson
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by Marisa Golini
William Gibson was the science fiction success story of the early
'80s, first with his stylish short fiction (much of it published in OMNI)
and then with his first novel NEUROMANCER, which won both the Hugo and
Nebula awards for best novel of 1983. Gibson coined the term "cyberspace"
-- referring to the world within computer communication -- and foresaw
Virtual Reality and Information Networks years before they became the hot
technologies of today. His vision of the future is a Bladerunner-esque
hard-edged world where information is the most valuable currency. However,
he'll tell you he doesn't write about the future, he writes about the
present with the "volume turned up." Along with Rudy Rucker, Bruce
Sterling, Lewis Shiner, and Pat Cadigan, Gibson was dubbed the leader of
the "Cyberpunks", a label that stuck despite the fact that almost everyone
it was applied to promptly rejected it. Gibson looked on much of this
brouhaha with amusement. He followed up NEUROMANCER with COUNT ZERO, a
novel set in the same future but not a direct sequel, and with BURNING
CHROME, a collection of short stories that put him in the spotlight. MONA
LISA OVERDRIVE completed the loosely-connected three-book series often
referred to as the "Cyberspace trilogy" or the "Sprawl novels." Gibson
also recently rattled the snooty art-lit world with AGRIPPA (A BOOK OF THE
DEAD), an expensive limited-edition book on computer-disc, booby-trapped to
disintegrate when read.
Gibson was born in Wytheville, Virgina. He now lives in Vancouver with
his wife Deborah and kids Claire, 10, and Graeme, 15. His latest book is
VIRTUAL LIGHT.
It's just a typical day in the newsroom of a Rock radio station in
Canada's capital. I've just finished doing my morning news run, and my
colleague is going through some advance copy hardcovers we periodically
receive for possible interviews. Knowing I enjoy S.F., he says, "Got a new
Science Fiction book in. Interested in interviewing the author?."
"Maybe," I says. "Who is it?"
"Some guy named Bill Gibson. Is he important?"
I look up a little dumbfounded. My collegue is not into S.F. at all
so maybe I heard wrong. "William Gibson?, " I ask.
"Yeah, that's right," he says.
I shrieked.
Taking that as an affirmative to his original question, he phoned up
the lit. agent and we booked the interview.
A few weeks later, Gibson ambled into the station ... about 45 minutes
late due his terribly crunched interview schedule, but I figured I had him
now and everyone else could wait ... so we settled in for a little chat. I
really didn't know what to expect from Gibson. In truth, I was afraid I'd
be faced with some intellectual elitist. How wrong I was. I found Gibson
witty, charming, laid-back, easy to talk with, and full of interesting
anecdotes -- all recounted with that delightful Virginian drawl. Of
course, he probably thought I was not your average interviewer -- what with
my black garb, Docs, Bajoran earring and clutching a hard copy of AGRIPPA.
All in all, it made for a rather atypical, but certainly enjoyable
interview....
MG: So what's up with this Cyberpunk revival?
WG: Revival?
MG: O.K. Re-emergence. Haven't you noticed? It's been around for at
least 10 years, at least since NEUROMANCER ... but as of late, TIME
magazine does a cover story, local newspapers publish articles. All of a
sudden, it's something completely new ...
WG: That's a good point. I think 10 years ago it was a literary term you
used in pop culture analysis. So initially you could say "these six guys
are writing cyberpunk science fiction" ... and then it sorta became "see
that video, that's very cyberpunk" and then it got to the point you'd hear,
"man, those trousers ... those are way cyberpunk" ....So it became one of
the colourations of 80's pop culture. But I think the reason it's coming
out now is becuz the meaning has changed. So now if you did a dictionary
definition of cyberpunk, definition #1 would be something like "bohemia
with computers" or "the underground with computers". It's the first time
the underground has *had* computers. I mean the 60's would've been really
different if all us hippies had had desktop publishing!
MG: Techno rebels!
WB: Yeah. I think we may be headed for something like that, but it's
gonna happen in the early 21st century. People will probably look back
from the mid-21st century at what we call cyberpunk, and see it sorta like
the precursor phenomenon to whatever it is they're going through.
MG: So you don't think [cyberpunk's re-emergence] has anything to do with
just more people using computers and therefore finding out about that
"scene"?
WG: Well, there's that too. But I don't think we're gonna see anything
too drastic happen culturally around computers until the user-interface
evolves to the point where it's easy to use. I mean, the reason it's kinda
sexy and far-out when you say "hey, I do a lot of e-mail" or "hey, I hang
out on the Internet" -- the reason that has a kinda elite buzz to it is
that the learning curve is still too steep.
MG: Since this is a rock station, I have to ask you ... What do you think
of these groups and artists such as U2, Donny Fagen and Billy Idol who say
that *you* have inspired their latest works? Becuz, I know as far as U2
goes ... their Zoo TV tour was like something out of the dark and squishy
parts of your brain!
WG: Yeah! I was really happy with that! I met them (U2) during both
their stops in Vancouver. How I came to their attention was the men who
designed the "Steel Wheels" set for the Rolling Stones were working totally
from my early fiction, and sold the "Steel Wheels" design to the Stones by
giving the Stones my books and saying "read this, this is what we're gonna
do." I didn't know that at the time or I would've gone to see the show.
Anyhow, the same company did "Zoo TV" and this time told me about it.
Actually, one of the plans -- it didn't work out 'cuz I couldn't convince
my literary agents to let them go ahead and do it -- but Bono suggested
they should run the one of my novels on one of those electric light-bulb
ticker tape screens...just run the text through during the course of the
concert.
MG: That would've been great!
WG: Yeah ... anyway I've hung out with them and there has been some
exchange of ideas. We've been trying to figure out some way we can work
together on something.
With Donald Fagen ... after having so heavily larded my first novel
with Steely Dan references, I was really delighted to find that he actually
read them, and thought it was cool! Early Steely Dan tunes have always
been huge favorites of mine.
Now, we come down to Billy Idol ...
MG: Oh-oh ... and he's getting flamed on the .net ...
WG: Oh god I just don't know! I mean before I heard the album, I was
dodging the issue by saying "hey, don't worry about that ... the thing you
really want to worry about is Pat Benetar's album is called `Gravity's
Rainbow.'" That's much, much stranger. Why does Pat Benetar's new album
have the title of Thomas Pynchon's great underground classic? That's
really weird. GRAVITY'S RAINBOW is arguably a much more famous and
important book than "Neuromancer" ... at least Billy Idol didn't call his
album "Neuromancer". I mean, what's next? Are we gonna have "Ulysses" by
Bel Biv Devoe? (in psuedo-rap) `Yo Joyce! Man, the things he does with
language, it tore us up!' (big laughs) I don't know, it's a strange trend.
Anyway, now I've heard the album ... and I just don't get what he's on
about. I don't see the connection. A London journalist told me when Billy
did his "Cyberpunk" press junket over there, he made it a condition of
getting an interview with him, that every journalist had to have read
"Neuromancer" ... Anyway, they all did but when they met with Billy, the
first thing that became really apparent was that Billy *hadn't* read it.
So they called him on it, and he said he didn't need to ... he just
absorbed it through a kinda osmosis. I don't know. I had lunch with Billy
years ago in Hollywood and we were talking about the possiblilty of his
acting in a film that someone was trying to make based on some piece of
fiction of mine, and I thought he was a very likeable guy. He had a sense
of humour about what he was doing that is not apparent in the product he
puts out. If I run into him again, we can have a good laugh about what
he's doing now!
If you wanna hear a group that, to my mind, really does embody what
I'm doing ... there's a West German band called Plan B. They sound like
early Elvis Costello turned into rap music ... I've got them in heavy
rotation!
MG: Let's talk VIRTUAL LIGHT ... it's a different vision than your earlier
novels ... some people have said it's less bleak, more fun, and more
accessible. Would you agree?
WG: Wellll, I think it's less bleak if you read it in a certain way. It's
a comic novel. The intention is comic. But comic doesn't rule out bleak.
In the sense that Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" was a pretty funny movie -- but
- very* bleak. I think the take on that is how you interpret the term "happ
ending." So if you think, O.K., he gets the girl, the bad guys get the
shaft -BUT- what have they bought into to get this to happen? You can read
it both ways.
MG: Yeah I guess so. I also think it's really cool that one of your
protagonists is a bicycle messenger, and I like the whole idea of
information -- even in the hi-tech age -- still having to be carried around
by hand for security reasons.
WG: Well, you can't fax a plane ticket!
MG: It seems like it would keep you grounded ... that you still have to
rely on the "pony express" so to speak.
WG: Yeah. Like the creepy guy from the Medellin cartel who gets his
throat cut ... he's another kind of bicycle messenger. He's flying around
in a Concorde and staying in luxury hotels, but his job is to physically
carry this piece of information. Chevette's there because bicycle
messengers, particularly in San Fransisco, are a really hot sub-culture.
They've become a source for a lot of creative people. Lotta people, like
designers, are watching what bicycle messengers are wearing. And they have
their own bands ... here's places where messengers hang [out], and there's
messenger fanzines! I got everything I know about being a bike messenger
from "Mercury Rising" which is a fanzine put out by the San Francisco Bike
Messengers Association. There's this terrific coffeehouse near the Haight
called The Horseshoe where messengers hang and young people with lots of
tattoos and multiple piercing go there too ... and it's the only coffee
house I've ever seen where they've got laptop computers super-glued to
the tables. Each computer has it's own e-mail address so you can go in,
log on and do your stuff. So these kids come in off the streets with bones
through their noses, their bodies covered in heavy Samoan blackwork, and
looking like extras out of the back streets of Bladerunner, and they sit
down and they do their e-mail! The underground in San Francisco has
mutated into a really astonishing thing. And people haven't taken San
Francisco seriously as a source for alternative culture for a long time,
but I think they're gonna come back with a vengeance ... Just don't wear
any flowers in your hair!
MG: Obviously setting the novel so near in the future didn't restrict you
in any way ... the problem being with predicting things 10 years from now,
some of the beginnings of those changes have to be happening right now.
WG: Actually one of the things that actually delayed the completion of the
novel was that I had to wait for the Soviet Union to formally collapse. I
didn't quite realize at the time what I was waiting for ... But really, the
world of VIRTUAL LIGHT is just "now" with the volume cranked up. It
doesn't really say in the book that it's 2005...I think you can work out
exactly when it is cuz you figure out when Rydell was born, etc. But in
the proposal that I sent to the publisher's, I mentioned 2005, and they put
it in the flap copy which I wasn't entirely happy with, but I've sorta
gotten into it now becuz people come in and say "hey that can't possibly
happen now ... things can't change that much in 10 years", and I say "yeah,
that's what they said in Yugoslavia."
(laughs)
No really, a lot can happen in 10 years ... particularly as you near
the end of the century and the millenium. We're gonna see a lot of pretty
wacky religious stuff come down, unfortunately. I mean, we've already seen
it. That stuff in Waco weirded me out a little more than it did most
people because I'd already written in that Sublett, the Texan from the
video cult, was from Waco.
The other thing I got really lucky with was Tommy Lee Jones. [In the
novel, Sublett tells Rydell that he reminds him of Tommy Lee Jones]
MG: That's right. He's really hot right now!
WG: Yeah, cuz when I put that in, I did it just cuz I *love* Tommy Lee
Jones, but there weren't that many people who knew who he was.
MG: Now [becuz of THE FUGITIVE] everybody knows who he is! How the hell
do you do that?! (laughs)
WG: Oh I dunno ... just prescient I guess.(laughs)
MG: But, a lot of the things you write about, at least to me, seem
perfectly plausible ... sometimes you really creep me out when I read this
stuff!
WG: Well, you know it's funny, sometimes when I go to do interviews with
the press, an older interviewer will be both horrified and depressed by the
book. One woman in Toronto said to me after the interview, "But is there
nothing you can tell me to give me hope?" (laughs) That's one response ...
but then I saw some people being interviewed while standing in line for my
book signing in Montreal and one guy said, "I can't wait to live in the
world he's describing! I wanna live in a Willam Gibson novel!" But he was
maybe 20, so there's very different responses.
MG: Would *you* like to live in a William Gibson novel?
WG: Well, not particularly ... but I'd like to go there for a vacation!
[At this point, the lit. agent was waving a watch at me thru the glass. I
smiled and squeezed in a few more bits and pieces]
MG: I guess we're running out of time, and there's so much more I wanted
to ask you including WILD PALMS ... and JOHNNY MNEMONIC -- is that still a
go? Tell me that's still a go ...
WG: Well, it's not *not* a go. That's about as good as it gets. I've
seen some beautiful amazing sketches for the set designs. If it happens,
the production will be based in Toronto -- probably shoot the interiors
there -- and the exteriors may be shot in some kind of industrial ruin in
Hamilton. They'll dress up this old steel mill to look like a sort of
anarchist community hung under a bridge made of dozens of gutted Greyhound
buses.
MG: So they could start filming within the year?
WG: Yeah, if they're gonna pull it off at all, they'll have to start
shooting in late November. It's got a chance to go, but my experiences in
Hollywood have been so depressing with things falling apart that I don't
like to say it's happening.
MG: I understand, and I just want to mention that I read your ALIENS 3
script and I loved it. It was so much better than the dreg we ended up
with.
WG: Thank you. [My version] would've cost about 170-million dollars to
film, so that was part of the problem ... a few thousand full-sized aliens
on screen is asking for a bit much I guess!
[At this point I handed him my copy of VIRTUAL LIGHT *and* a hard copy of
AGRIPPA to sign...we had a good laugh over that.]
WG: Hey, where did you find it [AGRIPPA]?
MG: It's still on the Internet...just ask and you shall receive!
WG: Really? What I've sorta come to realize after the fact, is *that*
was the whole point. Like, how else could you guarantee that a 2000-word
poem would remain on the Internet forever? I *built* my daddy a monument
in cyberspace! I think that's cool!
MG: It's very cool.
WG: I recently got an edited 70-page version of what happened [what was
posted] on the Internet after Agrippa came out. It was very weird ... all
these messages started appearing from "W. Gibson"-- but they weren't from
me -- they were kinda manifesting with no return address. And everyone was
saying I was mad -- but I *wasn't*! Now I kinda know what it feels like to
MG: Well, thanks a lot for chatting with me today. I really enjoyed this.
WG: I enjoyed it too. Thanks very much.
William Gibson was interviewed at 54 Rock Radio in Ottawa, Ontario Canada
on Sept. 16, 1993.
[Editor's note: JOHNNY MNEMONIC is currently filming. See Movie News for
more details.]
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--!3!-- Stephanie Beacham: Dr. Westphalen's Cure For SEAQUEST'S Ills
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by Tasha Jesse Michaels
Stephanie Beacham went a long way around before landing in her current
role as Dr. Kristin Westphalen on SEAQUEST. Born and raised in
Hertfordshire, England, she has run the gamut from the Royal Shakespeare
Company and the National Theatre (with Sir Ian McKellen) to theater in Los
Angeles opposite Charlton Heston to films with Marlon Brando and Michael
Crawford to American television. Once she got there she played Sable Colby
on DYNASTY and THE COLBYS, then moved on the SISTER KATE, through various
othe projects, and finally as Luke Perry's absentee mother on BEVERLY HILLS
90210 before ending up playing the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Science
Officer of the largest submarine in the world.
So why does she have such a hard time accepting a woman calling her up
to interview her for a science fiction magazine? Oh, it's not that she
wasn't nice about it -- far from it. She's the epitome of grace, and quite
possibly one of the nicest, most "real" people in Hollywood. She just had
one question for me as I explained the concept of CYBERSPACE VANGUARD to
her: "Now don't you think that's more boys' toys?"
Boy's toys?
"You know," she continues as I try to explain, "I dragged Ted -- you
know, Ted Raimi [who plays Lt. J.G. Tim O'Neill on the show] -- I dragged
Ted today, in the lunch hour, to my game, which is dolls' houses. I
completely blew his brains out. He couldn't believe why people would do
these things. That's what I think of as 'girls.' I don't think of 'girls'
as science fiction people. I always meet men who are interested in science
fiction, not women."
But why would that be? For a moment she becomes introspective, soft.
"I am not absolutely certain unless it goes along with an extended version
of the knight in shining armor and the brave warrior and those
stereotypes."
Of course, most people in fandom know that there are plenty of women
involved. In fact, for some fandoms, such as QUANTUM LEAP, BEAUTY AND THE
BEAST and HIGHLANDER, they seem to outnumber the men. "Yes. But that's
because it's got more of the female archetypal stuff in it, which has to do
with the fair maiden. I mean HIGHLANDER is 'hero' in the sense of WATCHING
the knight in shining armor. So it doesn't surprise me."
She pauses for a moment before making her point. "You give a little
girl a stick and a piece of cloth and it will become a baby wrappped up.
You give a little boy a stick and a piece of cloth and it becomes a gun,
and a flag ... Do you see what I mean? We forget all our conditioning, our
basic, basic instincts. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST doesn't surprise me at all.
I don't think of that as science ficton, I think of that as fairy tale."
She is definitely more drawn toward the fairy tale-type things.
"Hardware just bores the life out of me. People interest me totally.
Hardware, software, whatever sort of ware it is, I find it completely ...
cold. Without interest."
Strange words from an actor in such a technological role. "I don't
know if you've noticed it, but the science side I'm fascinated by because
it's just so interesting to have a part that opens a whole new door to you.
I mean, I've had to learn on my toes. Qualified women interest me too.
But actually, she's got quite a lot of humanity about her.
Enough that she seems almost like a mother for the rest of the crew?
"She is. She's the ship's doctor, and I've often wished for more
confidences from the cew. Can you imagine if you're really stuck in this
situation, away from home and family, how many times you would think you
have a tummy ache and you really did have a tummy ache but what you really
had was a sort of missing ... I think that a lot of the humanity has been
missing from the show, and I think we're finding it rather late in the
season. I hope we will be given the opportunity to explore the people in a
greater depth. I do hope we go to a second season and can do that."
SEAQUEST was originally considered a guaranteed hit, but initial
ratings began to drop off as many fans because disenchanted with it.
Rumors circulated that Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, busy with his
triumphant SCHINDLER'S LIST, returned to find himself among the
disappointed. Staff changes were made, but the reports of mass firings
were untrue. "Oh, there've been SO many changes but we still don't have a
single girl on board, a single woman on board. I'm not talking about on
board the ship. We don't have a single writer-producer who's a woman, and
I really say that not even vaguely from a feminist standpoint, just from a
female perspective standpoint, which I think also then reflects viewers. I
mean, that LOIS AND CLARK business, apart from the fact that it's got Tracy
Scoggins on it who's my best friend, is just plain silly as far as I'm
concerned. BUT, it's got romance, and the female audience, and we do push
the button, likes a bit of romance."
Ah, romance. The topic that got the single largest number of reader
questions. Ms Beacham had the same question: "Well I'd like to know what
Westphalen and Bridger are up to. I wish they'd get on with it a bit."
So do many viewers, so are they going to? "Well, we're beginning.
But I think it's too little and too late, really as far as this season is
concerned, although last week's episode [with William Shatner] had a good
step forward. You know, sometimes when you work alongside someone you
hardly notice them then you suddenly realize that somebody else fancies
them and you look and you say 'Oh, my goodness me. They are a bit, aren't
they?' And that's what happens to Roy [Scheider]'s character last week
when somebody else wasy paying heavy interest to me. He suddenly thought
'Oh I feel a bit possessive about this one.' And I thought THAT'S the way
to go. So I think it's sometimes DOES work like that.
"The very last episode of this season will have a bit of that in it.
But I think we should have got on with it earlier."
But does that have anything to do with the lack of female writers, the
difference between "boys' toys" and "girls' toys"? "Yes I think it does,
because I think our priorities are different. Women like relationships."
But if they succeeded in putting relationships into the show, wouldn't
that put off part of the audience? "Without a doubt. You would be okay in
that the environment is the biggest sub in the world. But why should I
care if the whole lot die or not? I'm only going to care if the whole lot
die or not if I care who's in it. If you don't concentrate on your cast,
if you don't concentrate on relationships between the cast ... I hate to do
the old STAR TREK comparison, but you've always known who they are. You
know it? So you can care." But the show has an exceptionally large cast,
and "that could be considered a problem."
Among that large cast, the character of Dr. Westphalen is being held
up as an example of a strong, competant woman -- a rarity in science
fiction. "Yes, and I'm delighted. It's the one reasons I wanted the part.
I really thought OK, so I've been one of THE most stunning examples of the
selfish eighties, with Sable on THE COLBYS and DYNASTY. And I'm
particularly delighted to have worn so much coordinated jewelry. Fabulous.
But who do I want my daughters to be? I don't want my daughters to be a
woman who depends on a man. A woman who works alongside a man, of course!
A woman who appreciates all human beings, and I want them to be
independant, certainly."
But there are three sides to every story. What do her daughters, too
young to thing about that sort of thing, think of Wesphalen? "They're so
pleased that I'm not a b*tch. I think they see this as being nearer to
mommy." On the other hand ... "I think they think I've thrown the baby
out with the bathwater as far as looks are concerned, that I don't need to
look quite as dull as I do, but they're delighted that I'm playing someone
who cares about humanity because they feel that's much closer to who I am.
Although I have to say that Westphalen is much cleverer than I am. She can
throw out chemical analyses of things that I couldn't begin to. I'm not
saying that I was a bright science student at school. I wasn't."
Of course, she probably couldn't act as well. The thought amuses her.
"Yes, this is probably true. But it's hard to act technical stuff. You
get away with it, but you don't act it. You can only REact to emotional
situations or caring situations where there's some feeling involved. This
is why I do think that humanity is what the show was GOING to be about, but
somehow has missed the boat on. I DO hope that we have time and audience
to literally warm things up."
Much thanks to KGARRISO@UA1VM.UA.EDU, and karmann@cwis.unomaha.edu for
submitting questions, and a couple of specific answers:
1) to David.A.Markham@Dartmouth.EDU: She seems to be at least a
casual science fiction fan, being familiar with various shows and having
some definite feelings about DR. WHO.
2) to cs_e266@kingston.ac.uk: She enjoyed her stint on ST:TNG (Ship
in a Bottle) immensely. "It was just SO much fun."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!4!-- Getting Blown Up for Fun and Profit: The Indiana Jones Epic
Stunt Spectacular
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
His name is Indiana Jones. He travels the world, looking for
adventure, for treasure, for archaeological clues to history. What he
generally finds, however, is trouble. Being shot at, getting into fist
fights, even coming close to being blown up, are business as usual for him.
But still, he gets to do it in exotic locales and pretty much always
makes it out in one piece, pushing the action from crisis into adventure.
And everyone wants adventure, right?
Down in Florida there's a place where you can get close to the
adventure, feeling the heat of the explosions and hearing the bullets whiz
overhead, and if you're really lucky you can even fake the punches.
That's right, FAKE the punches. The place is the Indiana Jones Epic
Stunt Spectacular, part of Disney/MGM studios in Walt Disney World, and
"extras" are chosen from the audience to participate in some of the simpler
stunts.
Two people who perform the dangerous stunts, such as running from a
400 pound boulder or an exploding fuel truck, are Todd Warren, who plays
the Indiana Jones role, and Michelle Waitman, who plays the Marion
Ravenwood role.
Todd has been performing the role of "Harrison Ford's stunt double"
for about a year and a half. He's an athlete, and went through college on
a full ride athletic scholarship. Michelle's role involves a bit more in
the way of tumbling, which suits her fine. A gymnast since the age of
eight, she thought she was auditioning for a simple tumbling role. "I was
really surprised to find out I was auditioning for the girl!" She's been
performing the role for four years.
You will probably notice by this point that neither one of them is a
professional stuntperson, though their official occupation is "stunt
performer." Both have been extensively trained. Michelle was trained by
Glen Randall Jr., who was the stunt coordinator for the Indiana Jones
movies.
Despite that fact that there is an "Indiana Jones" store right outside
-- no whips, for safety reasons, and not an accurate leather jacket in
sight -- this show is no cheap ripoff.
The stage, which includes several different sets, some sectioned to be
moved out of the way, was designed with "a large amount of cooperation"
from Lucasfilm, which of course owns the rights to the Indiana Jones
character, and looks quite authentic.
Included in the show is a recreation of the Nazi plane scene from
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, complete with the ... attitude adjustment to the
German mechanic. Both the plane and the fuel truck are in fact replicas of
those used in the films, and as such cause their own problems. Since the
stage includes such accurate sets, film crews, such as those working in
Terry "Hulk" Hogan's new show, THUNDER IN PARADISE, often film there, and
restrictions are placed on what and where they can shoot.
Those aren't the only restrictions placed on other crews. Even if
they bring their own stunt coordinators, other productions can't perform a
single stunt unless it passes the rigorous requirements in place to protect
the actors.
The requirements are by no means formalities. Every stunt must pass a
triple check. The first check is the Operations and Control Center, or
OCC. Next it must be approved by the stage manager, Tim Maimone. Besides
making sure that the stunt itself is safe and everything is working
properly, there are other things to consider. For instance, today the
German mechanic was not hit by the plane. Instead, Michelle and Todd had
to adjust their routine, with him falling out of the way and her shooting
the German from the cockpit of the plane. Why? Tim decided that there was
too much wind, and the smoke would not completely conceal the actor as he
dropped through a hole in the stage floor. Because of this responsibility,
it takes a minimum of 3 months to train a new stage manager. Finally, if
the actor feels uncomfortable with a stunt, he or she can call it off
without having to justify him or herself.
Even with all the caution, however, accidents happen. Things are
carefully planned, but they are still dangerous stunts. Trucks are blown
up and flipped over, actors swing on poles 40 feet in the air, fall
off buildings ... it's an insurance agent's nightmare. Michelle says that
the usual injuries are ankles and knees. Usually the audience doesn't even
know what has happened. Michelle has had her nose broken, "and nobody down
there even realized it." On the rare occasion that there is a more serious
injury, the show has been brought to a halt, and if another cast member
could be dressed and ready, the show has been continued when the injured
party had been removed.
Despite the occasional injury, after more than four years, Michelle
says she's not frightened of anything in the show.
Todd feels that if anything, "it's an adrenaline rush when it looks
like something might be going a little bit wrong or if something doesn't
look exactly familiar."
During the busy season, the stage hosts as many as 12 performances per
day. It would be impossible for Todd and Michelle to do all those
performances themselves. In fact, there are three "casts," each with two
Indy/Marion teams, who play the "Director of Photography" and "Casting
Director" respectively, when they are not performing the stunts. This
allows them to limit themselves, never doing the stunts more than four
times in one day, and even that is a strain. Altogether, the casts
coordinate the actions of 6 different performers.
Often children write back after they have seen the show. One boy,
Johnny Kenny, was so earnest about his desire to be a stunt person after
seeing the show that he was invited back and given a grand tour of the
stage and sets. Everyone involved feels that it is "a rewarding
experience," and when the show is over, dozens of children inevitably
approach the stage for an autograph from "Indy." So is there any pressure
in playing such a cultural icon? Todd says "I always stress the fact that
I'm playing Harrison Ford's stunt double, rather than the character
himself." Nevertheless, many of the younger children fail to grasp the
difference.
Michelle doesn't have as much of a problem. "They really don't care
about the girl." She laughs. "Seriously, though, it's quite an honor for
me."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!5!-- Mind Uploading: Downloading Your Brain to a Machine
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
by J. Strout
Introduction
Progress in both neuroscience and computer technology has been
advancing rapidly within the last century. Researchers are currently
working on building machines which imitate the functions of the human
brain. At the same time, computers continue to grow exponentially in
storage and processing capacity. These parallel developments suggest that
it may someday be possible to reconstruct a complete human brain. Such a
reconstruction, if done accurately, would possess all the memories,
feeling, and dispositions as the original.
The potential process of copying a brain into a functional
reconstruction is called "mind uploading" (or just "uploading" when the
context is clear), because the subject's mind is perceived to be
transferred into a new machine, just as software is transferred to a new
machine when uploaded to an archive site. The possibility is exciting
because it offers an indefinite lifespan, and great flexibility for
adapting to other environments or purposes not foreseen by evolution.
However, a number of serious issues must be addressed if uploading is to be
taken seriously.
Overview of neuroscience
The information-processing capabilities of the brain (and the rest of
the nervous system) arise from an intricate network of specialized cells
called neurons. Neurons have long branches (axons and dendrites)
connecting them together. The sites of the connections are called
synapses, where the electrical signal of one cell is converted to a
chemical signal which reaches the other cell. In general, the operation of
a neuron is relatively straightforward. The various input signals from
other cells change the neuron's electrical potential, either raising it or
lowering it depending on the type of synapse and chemical messenger used.
When the neuron's potential reaches a certain limit, it fires an electrical
output signal, which propagates down its axon to all the other cells to
which it connects. While the operation of a single neuron is fairly
mundane, amazing tasks can be accomplished by networks of such cells, as
has been amply demonstrated by researchers in artificial neural networks.
Of course, this brief description does not do justice to the great
complexity and variety of neurons and supporting structures of the brain,
but it captures the essence of neural function. What makes one neural
network different from another is the pattern of connections. Indeed, much
of the current research in artificial neural networks attempts to devise
ways of setting the connections though training. Other researchers use
fixed connections based on the morphology of networks found in simple
animals. Our own brain patterns are a combination of genetics, experience,
and possibly chance. Through experience, connections are established,
destroyed, or changed in strength. The pattern of connections in the brain
is believed to store all of your memories, skills, hopes, and fears, as
well as the innate circuitry which (for example) enables you to convert
visual input into a three-dimensional representation of your environment.
Mind uploading will depend critically on duplicating the connections among
neurons in the brain.
Another factor to consider is the role of extracellular influences in
the brain. In addition to cell-specific signals, some neurons release
chemicals diffusely into the extracellular fluid, which affect the
operation of neurons in the area. This includes hormones from the body as
well, which can have pronounced behavioral effects. Hormones are also
thought to be vital to emotions such as fear, anger, or joy. While
probably not critical to the operation of the brain, diffuse chemical
influences will have to be simulated accurately if the uploading process is
to retain the full effect of being human.
Finally, some notion of the size and number of neural structures is
needed to estimate how much processing capacity will be needed to store or
simulate the nervous system. Table 1 presents some very broad estimates;
take these numbers as orders of magnitude rather than specifics (which are
still unknown for many of these levels).
----------------------------------------------------
Structure Scale Number
--------- ----- ------
synapses .001 mm 10^15
neurons .1 mm 10^12
circuits 1 mm 10^9
maps 1 cm 10^3
systems 10 cm 10
CNS 1 m 1
Table 1. Approximate size and number of structures
in the nervous system (CNS, Central Nervous System).
----------------------------------------------------
Uploading procedures
The most plausible uploading procedure requires, somewhat regrettably,
destroying the brain very thoroughly. The technique, reconstruction from
serial sections, involves slicing the brain into extremely thin sheets, to
be scanned and reassembled as data in a computer. The process has been
used on a much smaller scale for years, to determine the morphology of
synapses and local circuits. The technology needed for uploading is far
more advanced, but essentially the same in theory. I will attempt to
illustrate the proposed procedure with a plausible scenario.
A hospital patient is pronounced metabolically dead -- that is, his
heart and lungs have stopped and do not respond to resuscitation. The
patient is kept on artificial life support while the cryonic equipment is
prepared. Then, surgeons carefully perfuse the patient's body with
fixating agents, remove the head, and freeze it solid. This part of the
procedure is similar to that currently in use by cryonics organizations,
but the goal here is not long-term storage -- rather, it is merely to
forestall decay and keep the brain structures rigid for the scanning
process.
When the head has been thoroughly frozen, it is placed in an uploading
machine. This machine automates what would otherwise be arduous or
impossible. Starting at one side of the head, slices (less than .001 mm
thick) are shaved off one by one. With each slice, the exposed cellular
structures are scanned by high-resolution instruments (e.g., electron
microscopes). Relevant neural structures are identified and recorded by
the computer (a nontrivial but tractable task). Although most of the
volumes of information in each slice can be discarded or simplified, the
database from a single patient would still immense by today's standards.
When the patient's brain has been entirely scanned, the data is loaded
into an artificial brain and body. The peripheral nervous system is
assumed to be relatively standard, so that the patient's peripheral
circuitry can be replaced with "generic" peripheral circuitry with little
inconvenience. As soon as the artificial brain has been configured with
the patient's brain patterns, the upload is activated. The patient, after
overcoming some initial disorientation, leaves the hospital feeling young
again.
This scenario is not as outrageous as it may seem at first glance.
There are two theoretical hurdles. First, and most serious, it will be
necessary to determine the exact type of each synapse so that the effect of
one cell on another can be duplicated. This may not be recoverable from
morphology alone -- it may be necessary to detect certain classes of
chemicals in both the sending and receiving parts of the synapse. Thus
microscopy may have to be combined with other techniques (e.g.,
spectroscopy) to obtain all the relevant information. The second hurdle is
simply processing capacity -- the brain is enormous when examined at such a
tiny scale, and today's technology is dwarfed by the demands of the task.
It is easier to imagine handling the data of, say, a nematode, which has
only a hundred or so neurons; indeed, such a small network could be easily
simulated by many of today's computers. For an insect, the technology
needed would be a bit more advanced, and for a mouse, far greater -- but
still much less than that needed for a human. But computing capacity has
been growing in an accelerating manner, and what is possible on a small
scale will soon be possible on a larger scale as well. (Note that because
neurons act only on information that is available locally to them, the
difficulty of simulation is only linearly proportional to the number of
neurons. This means that uploading will not suffer from the exponential
scaling of some other classes of problems.) Moreover, it is assumed that
the simulation task will not be done by a general-purpose computer, but
with specialized hardware designed for the job.
Nature of artificial brains & bodies
When considering the prospect of an artificial body, many people
picture the clumsy mechanical character C-3P0 from the film STAR WARS.
While early bodies may indeed be crude (C-3P0 would be a technological
marvel by today's standards), the social and economic pressure for more
natural, human bodies would surely be strong enough to inspire rapid
innovation. Within a few decades, it seems likely that artificial bodies
will be casually indistinguishable from natural ones. This will probably
involve technologies currently beyond speculation, but it may still be
helpful to highlight some of the current research which may prove useful
for uploading in the future.
For muscles, currently popular techniques -- hydraulics, pneumatics,
and motors -- seem inadequate. Muscles are needed which can contract very
quickly and strongly but still with fine precision, and if they can also
mimic the structure of human muscle, so much the better. Researchers
working with so-called "smart polymers" seem on the right track; these
polymers can expand and contract to a variety of stimuli, including the
application of an electric current. Bundles of polymer fibers,
appropriately connected to artificial neurons, may be attached to an
artificial skeleton in the manner of natural muscles. This would give the
upload smooth, natural movement and a familiar body structure. Smart
polymers even seem suited to such versatile and important muscles as the
tongue.
Among the senses, vision may be considered the most important, but not
the most difficult. The anatomy of the eye and functioning of the retina
are fairly well understood, and attempts at duplicating it are already
making progress. Hearing is likewise fairly straightforward. Touch, on
the other hand, is vitally important and least explored in current
research. The artificial skin will need dense receptors for pressure,
temperature, and pain. Internal senses (e.g., of limb position) will work
in a similar manner. Finally, taste and smell will be highly demanded,
though it might be argued that uploading could be a success without them.
Taste and smell will probably depend on smart polymers as much as the
muscles.
The artificial brain may be quite unlike the artificial computers of
today; the circuitry will probably need to be three-dimensional to
accommodate the rich pattern of interconnections. Progress has recently
been made in growing three-dimensional semiconductor "dendritic trees,"
which the researchers suggest may be useful for constructing neural
networks. More exotic possibilities include the optical computer, which
enjoys the advantage of connections crossing without interference, and the
quantum computer, with elements so small that quantum mechanics plays a
role in their operation. Whatever technology is used, the artificial brain
will be extremely complex, but probably also compact, durable, and
efficient.
Conclusion
When space travel was merely science fiction, the idea was opposed by
some very thoughtful writers, who pointed out that travel in space would
never be possible since there is nothing to push against. The concept of
uploading faces a similar situation now -- as a strange new idea in its
infancy, it is sometimes opposed by well-meaning thinkers who work from a
misunderstanding of the brain. At this point, there appear to be no
genuine theoretical problems with uploading; the difficulties are merely
technological, and as such, will be overcome if the current pace of
progress continues. Uploading technology will have profound effects on
humanity and society, and the complex issues which will arise should be
explored soon -- for within a century or two, uploading may be upon us.
Further Reading
---------------
THE COMPUTATIONAL BRAIN. P. Churchland and T. Sejnowski. The MIT Press,
1992.
NEUROBIOLOGY. G. Shepherd. Oxford University Press, 1988.
PARALLEL DISTRIBUTED PROCESSING. D. Rumelhart et al. The MIT Press, 1986.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!6!-- The Business Side of Conventions: Building a Better Hotel
Relationship
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
by Steve Schwartz
Getting (and especially keeping) a hotel that is right for your
convention is very important, particularly when you want to ask them to
allow you to do something they normally wouldn't let you get away with.
There are things you can do to build rapport with your hotel's convention
sales, catering, or convention services staff, and most of them aren't
difficult.
Opening negotiations will set the tone for your entire duration there,
so getting off on the right foot is important. Many people go into their
first meeting with the idea that they will try to get away with as much as
possible to save money. I reccommend that you stay entirely above board
with every aspect of your dealings, however, as they will eventually find
out the truth, and then you are doomed to failure. Sneaking in extra food
and/or beverages or alcohol to avoid corkage fees or high costs is not a
way to build trust with your hotel. The usual fear is that the hotel won't
understand the foibles and quirks of our attendees, so discussions about
people wandering the halls at three in the morning, weird costumes, or
impromptu late night filks are avoided. An example of full disclosure
avoidance is with our relaxacon called NECROCON. One hotel never fully
realized what a "convention" was, and exactly how weird things could get.
After the convention, they decided that we must all be in league with the
devil, and refused to have us back ever again. If we had explained exactly
what to expect, we would most likely have been OK.
Always be certain to find out before it is too late what the hotel
expects. If they are only used to business conventions, they need to be
educated; but if they have had Shriners in before, everything will probably
be all right. If they have restrictions about weapons (stage or
otherwise), pets, costumes, alcohol, etc., be certain to make your
attendees aware of them before they arrive. Ferrets, swords, rayguns, and
semi-nude bodies are very fannish; but particularly bad if the hotel
doesn't approve. From a noise viewpoint, you want to be certain the hotel
blocks your rooms together so as not to bother "mundanes." If your
convention has room parties, make certain that all parties involved know on
what floor they should be held. I maintain that if the hotel understands
what to expect up front, they will agree to most reasonable requests. For
example, with our science fiction and fantasy convention, MARCON, the Hyatt
Regency places no restrictions on weapons, or costumes, as long as they
remain in our convention areas. The trade-off is to ask our attendess to
cover up their bodies, and their weapons, in the "public" areas of the
hotel such as the lobby, elevators, restaurants, etc. It is important that
we abide by their rules, so we instruct our operations/security people to
handle any problems, before the hotel even becomes aware of them. I can't
stress enough how important these simple words are. Marcon has moved up to
the largest hotel in the Columbus, Ohio area, and will be taking over the
entire space available there starting with Marcon 30 in May 1995. We would
not be where we are now if we had ignored any of these points.
To make your life simpler, you will want to set up a "corporate
account" with your hotel. They will want some sort of credit information,
which shouldn't be too difficult to produce. After you set up your
account, it will be much easier to arrange guest rooms, food functions,
alcohol purchases, etc. Otherwise, you will need to pay as you go, ar at
best pay up by the last day of your event. The corporate account number
will also make you seem more professional to your guests, especially at
check-in and Guest of Honor meal functions.
In most states, hotels cannot restrict what you are allowed to do
(within state laws) in the privacy of your rightfully rented hotel room(s).
Most hotels will, however, have "in-house" rules regarding "official"
function spaces that are difficult to get around. For example, many of
them will want to charge you corkage for beverages, or cater your food
functions themselves. You must get them to let you bring in some basics
(i.e. dry snacks, nuts, soda, etc.). With Marcon, we started out getting
approval to bring in some "donated" snacks and beverages. Each year the
list expanded and we were able to get more items to bring in, until they
eventually lifted all non-alcoholic restrictions. We now have our consuite
in what used to be a hotel restaurant/lounge, and all with the Hyatt's
blessing. A hotel will most likely never allow you to bring in your own
alcohol for your consuite, due to legal restricitons and liabiligy issues.
We end up buying our beer and wine directly from the hotel. However, we've
been able to get the price lowered to an affordable figure by explaining
that we don't have a corporate expense account (i.e. begging and
grovelling). Sometimes offering them a food function, such as a banquest
at your guest of honor speeches, will justify having them lower your hotel
food and beverage bill.
There are many other things to consider that will make your convention
affordable. One is to have the hotel adjust your convention room rate up a
dollar or two, and use that as a credit toward your hotel bull. With
enough attendees, this could be a sizable amount. Another important aspect
of keeping costs down is selling room nights for your hotel. All hotels
have a scale by which you can get free or significantly lowered function
space or consuite room nights based on the number of attendees who buy
rooms there. Most use the ratio of one free hotel room night for every
fifty you sell to your attendees. These are free rooms you can use for
guests or small functions. You might also get the hotel to give you free
suite nights by offering them two or three of your comlementary room nights
in exchange. For additional space your hotel will want to charge you based
on the square footage of the function space you need for your events. A
part, or even all this function space should be complementary. The
percentage of the hotel's function space you get free will likely be based
on a ratio of the hotel rooms you sell compared to the hotel's capacity.
Be certain to get this scale placed into the contract, so everyone
understand the rules. For these reasons, the most important thing for your
convention's continuted existance is to sell hotel rooms for your host
hotel. Always be certain to ask attendees to be loyal to your hotel, and
mention your convention to get the preset "con rate". Stress to the hotel
that you are doing everything in you power to help them. In most cases
they will even give you stacks of pre-printed envelopes to send to your
attendees with your progress report(s). Then "at con", follow up by asking
the hotel for a list of all names of in-house guests during your stay. You
can check this list against your membership list to be certain of getting
full credit on your bill. Methods such as these help your con budget go a
little further. In actuality you are spreading part of the cost to each of
your con attendees without having it hurt as much as a higher membership
rate.
Two or three months out from your convention you will want to meet
with your representative. Make room layouts for any function spaces so
they will know in advance where you want tables, chairs, podiums, water
setups, trash containers, etc.. Work out a schedule for picking up trash
and filling water setups you can both live with. This is especially
important for the more complex events and room change-overs. Staff will
want a resonable time to change room layouts, usually 1.5 to 2 hours
minimum. Also stress which setups are the most critical, or must be set up
before other things happen. That way the hotel can bring in extra staff
and schedule them wisely. Consider that the spaces you need most will be
for the dealer's room and art show, which take additional setup before
being ready to open. The hotel will appreciate all of your efforts when it
comes time to setup your function spaces. There will ALWAYS be some
problems, but if you prepare properly you will certainly minimize them.
Finally, remember to be very nice to the important people you deal
with at your hotel. I try to be certain that they get to meet any guests
in which they have an interest, and offer other perks like con T-shirs, or
"excess" consuite provender. We encourage any hotel personnel to come in
and observe what we do. Operations is instructed to allow anyone with
their hotel ID badge in. This way they can see we are a legitimate
organization. We also schedule a meesting between the key staff member
both organizations the night before the con starts. Seeing faces and
ironing out last-minute problems is easier then than it is during the
hectic hours that start your event. Lastly, we schedule a meeting after
the con, so problems that cropped up at the con can be dealt with while
facts are still fresh in everyone's minds. Then thank you letters and
small gifts to key hotel staff members complete the process. Believe me,
it is worth the trouble if you want to keep your hotel happy with you.
Rumors of bad dealings and hotels throwing conventions from our
special interest group out do not help things. By following these general
rules, more hotels will see the benefits of holding a reasonably profitable
and mostly trouble-free event. The more wide-spread the belief becomes,
the easier it will be on all of us. Above all else, please realize that it
doesn't hurt to ask for something from the hotel; you might even get it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!7!-- Reviews by Evelyn C. Leeper/Mini-Reviews
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GREEN MARS by Kim Stanley Robinson
Bantam Spectra, ISBN 0-553-37335-8, 1994, 535pp, US$12.95.
A book review by Evelyn C. Leeper
Copyright 1994 Evelyn C. Leeper
This is the second book of Robinson's "Mars" trilogy. The first was
last year's Hugo-nominated RED MARS, and the series will be finished with
the upcoming BLUE MARS. (I should mention again that while Robinson's
novella "Green Mars" appears to take place in the same future history as
this series, it is not a part of this novel.)
GREEN MARS, it must be said, suffers from the same flaws and
difficulties as most middle-of-a-trilogy novels. It does not start at the
beginning, nor does it go through to the end. While RED MARS can be read
as a stand-alone novel, GREEN MARS cannot. You must know what happened in
RED MARS for GREEN MARS to make any sense or have any meaning. (I would
really have appreciated a brief glossary of major characters and political
groups -- my memory of the details of RED MARS has faded over the
intervening year.)
There is also (to my tastes) far too much technical discussion of
terraforming and areology, particularly in the first half of the book. For
example, on page 148 Robinson writes: "The surface of the glacier appeared
to be extremely broken, as the literature had suggested -- mixed with
regolith during the flooding, and shot through with trapped carbonation
bubbles. Rocks and boulders caught on the surface had melted the ice
underneath them and then it had refrozen around them, in a daily cycle that
had left them all about two-thirds submerged. All the seracs, standing
above the surface of the glacier like titanic dolmens, were on close
inspection found to be deeply pitted." (By the way, a regolith is a layer
of loose rock material resting on bedrock, a serac is a large mass of ice
broken off the main body of a glacier and remaining behind in a crevasse
after glacial movement or melting, and a dolmen is a prehistoric megalithic
[large stone] structure consisting of two or more upright stones with a
capstone, typically forming a chamber (which doesn't actually sound like
what the seracs would look like, but what the heck). All definitions
courtesy of the AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY.) I could be wrong, but I
also think that the discussions on pages 175 through 187 and elsewhere of
the poisonousness effects of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are confusing
it with carbon monoxide. While inhaling large amounts of carbon dioxide
can cause death by suffocation, it is not poisonous in the usual sense of
the word, and it is not clear to me that in an atmosphere with a certain
percentage of oxygen it matters whether the remainder is nitrogen or carbon
dioxide, at least as far as human respiration goes. (Though the
atmospheric pressure would be important -- consider the possible
side-effects of nitrogen to deep-sea divers.)
This may all seem terrible technical and nit-picky, but the book lends
itself to that so well that is should be somewhat expected.
It is only in the second half of GREEN MARS that Robinson returns in
force to the political and historical aspects of the series. While one may
argue that the key event that triggers the "phase change" of GREEN MARS's
final chapter is totally arbitrary, there's no denying that historical
triggers often are. Still, I have to reserve final judgement on GREEN MARS
until BLUE MARS concludes the series, and then see if GREEN MARS serves its
purpose in the overall picture. That is the only way to view this book and
much as I want to see Kim Stanley Robinson finally get a Hugo, it makes no
sense to look at this as a possibility. (I mention this because this had a
British edition in 1993, and hence would be eligible for the Hugo awards
for last year, to be given at Conadian this September. I note this just to
clarify its eligibility for anyone who does want to nominate it.)
Title: Green Mars Author: Kim Stanley Robinson
City: New York Date: March 15, 1994
Publisher: Bantam Spectra Pages: 535pp
Comments: hardback, US$22.95/trade paperback, US$12.95
Order Info: ISBN 0-553-09640-0/ISBN 0-553-37335-8
Series: Mars Volume: 2
..............................
EMPIRE'S END by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch
Del Rey Science Fiction, ISBN 0-345-37696-X
EMPIRE'S END is the eighth and final Sten adventure. If you have not read
any of the previous adventures, especially the immediately preceding novel
(VORTEX), you will probably not appreciate this book -- though I would
suggest trying the first novel of the series, STEN. If you have been
following the series and enjoying it, this book is definitely consistent
with what has come before and you will not be disappointed. We have all
the standard stuff -- narrow escapes, space battles, willy guns, and
infiltration that you expect packaged up in a moving tale that even has a
message -- what more could you ask. But Bunch and Cole should probably
write a cookbook soon and get it out of their system. -- David Gibbs
THE SUN THE MOON AND THE STARS by Steven Brust
Ace Fantasy, ISBN 0-441-79099-2
If you only like to read fantasy (or sf) you should probably avoid THE SUN
THE MOON AND THE STARS as, despite the labelling, this book is definitely
not fantasy. It tells the story of a group of young "starving" artists who
have setup a studio together, focusing especially on the protaganist, Greg
Kovacs and his thoughts while attempting the largest canvas he has yet to
attempt, interleaved with a traditional Hungarian folk tale that Greg is
relating to his friends, and some discussion on the question of "what is
art?". This book is well written, and well told, all in all an excellent
work of fiction, it just isn't fantasy. -- David Gibbs
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--!8!-- The Infamous Reply Cards and What You Said
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by Linda E. Smit
With the latest team just beginning their experiment in Biosphere
living, the answers we received to our last response card question are
interesting. Only eighteen responses were returned, but they all seem to
be carefully considered answers. While nine readers said "no," six said
"yes." Two people said "no and yes" and one said he just wasn't sure of an
answer.
The responses really fell into three categories. There were
unequivocal yesses, unequivocal nos, and several "depends." I felt like I
was playing a game of Scruples(TM) with all the variations on why people
would/would not go, according to the situation.
The major reason for not participating in a Biosphere-like project was
time taken away from family or a relationship. One respondent said he'd go
if his wife could go as well. Another said his children are too young for
him to leave them for such an extended period of time.
Yet, some of the people unwilling to do Biosphere said they WOULD
participate in a trip to Mars or live on a space station. Several folks
said they could understand the importance of learning how to live in a
closed system in order to colonize other planets--they'd just rather wait
until there was something more to get out of the experience.
And one of the "yes" responses emphasized the difference between
Biosphere and a space project:
"It would certainly be a challenging and 'interesting' time
(whether or not 'interesting' would fulfill the idea of that
ancient Chinese curse. :)) Since however, we are talking about
a hypothetical biosphere 3 (or greater), I would see the question
are referring to two types, another earth-based biosphere project
or a 'real' space based biosphere. I think that the scientific
value of an earth based biosphere has been well & truely
established so the challenge & the scientific value would not be
as great. Not that I wouldn't consider the offer, but I wouldn't
'leap' at it (needless to say, I would probably say yes.) On
the other hand, if the project would be in space (either in 'deep
space' or on a planet/moon/etc then I would literally kill to
get in. The challenge and the scientific value would go without
saying, and besides, I would do almost anything to get into
space. :) So where do I sign up?"
And I asked the same question. Where do I sign up? The yes responses
recognized the difficulties encountered by people in a closed system, but
decided that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
"I would take the opportunity because it would be a great
chance to learn about yourself and how to deal with others.
Living in such a closed environment would be very challenging
and getting along with the inevitable cliques that would ensue
would be a learning experience. I doubt such an effort would
always be enjoyable but it would be an unique experience."
And I feel the same. I think living in a closed environment, whether
it be Biosphere, a space station, or a spaceship would be an incredible
learning experience. For a writer, it would be an experiment in patience
and veracity. It would be an adventure that would not only teach you about
other people, but also about yourself--things you might not ever learn
otherwise.
(If you new Biosphere folks are reading this--good luck to you!)
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--!9!-- SF Calendar: What's Coming Up in the Near Future
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....................
Upcoming BOOKS
....................
[We'd like to also feature books from some of the smaller publishers. If
you have a favorite small publisher you think we should know about, please
feel free to send us the address, or even just the name and city. We'll
find it.]
------------
March 1994:
Ace: THE SURE DEATH OF A MOUSE - Dan Crawford
Baen: MIRROR DANCE - Lois McMaster Bujold
WILD CARDS: MARKED CARDS - (edited by) George R.R. Martin
Bantam: INDIANA JONES AND THE WHITE WITCH - Martin Caidin
Spectra THE STAINLESS STEEL RAT SINGS THE BLUES - Harry Harrison
UNIVERSE 3 - (edited by) Robert Silverberg and Karen Haber
GOLDEN TRILLIUM - Andre Norton
THE ROBOTS OF DAWN - Isaac Asimov
THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE STARS - Kirby Green
GREEN MARS - Kim Stanley Robinson
RHINEGOLD - Stephan Grundy
DAW: TO GREEN ANGEL TOWER (Part 1) - Tad Williams
SERPENT WALTZ - Jo Clayton
OUTWORLD CATS - Jack Lovejoy
Del Rey: OUT OF THIS WORLD (First book, THREE WORLDS trilogy) -
Lawrence Watt-Evans
A GUIDE TO THE STAR WARS UNIVERSE, SECOND EDITION, REVISED &
EXPANDED - Bill Slavicsek
THE TALISMANS OF SHANNARA (Fourth book, THE HERITAGE OF SHANNARA)
- Terry Brooks
THE PRINCE OF ILL-LUCK - Susan Dexter
FIRE IN A FARAWAY PLACE (Sequel, A SMALL COLONIAL WAR) - Robert
Frezza
Knopf: DIAMOND MASK (Second book, THE GALACTIC MILIEU trilogy) - Julian
May
Roc: DEADLY QUICKSILVER LIES - Glen Cook
Tor: SACRED GROUND - Mercedes Lackey
THE MAGIC ENGINEER - L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
A COLLEGE OF MAGICKS - Caroline Stevermer
------------
April 1994:
Baen: THE WATCHMEN - Ben Bova
THE SHIP WHO WON - Anne McCaffrey and Jody Lynn Nye
HONOR HARRINGTON #3: THE SHORT VICTORIOUS WAR - David Weber
Bantam: THE COURTSHIP OF PRINCESS LEIA - Dave Wolverton
DAW: THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER - Mickey Zucker Reichert
Del Rey: THE LIVING GOD - Dave Duncan
STRANGER AT THE WEDDING - Barbara Hambly
CRASHLANDER - Larry Niven
A WHISPER OF TIME - Paula E. Downing
DEL REY DISCOVERY: THE HELDAN - Deborah Talmadge-Bickmore
MacMillan/Atheneum: WOLF-SPEAKER - Tamora Pierce
Viking: THE FOREST HOUSE (sequel, THE MISTS OF AVALON) - Marion Zimmer
Bradley
Tor: FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AFTER (sequel, THE PHEONIX GUARDS) - Steven Brust
THE DUBIOUS HILLS - Pamela Dean
------------
May 1994:
Del Rey: THE TANGLE BOX - Terry Brooks
THE ZENTRAEDI REBELLION - Jack McKinney (Robotech #18)
CAT SCRATCH FEVER - Tara K. Harper
THE STRICKEN FIELD (Third Book of A HANDFUL OF MEN) - Dave Duncan
CHAINS OF DARKNESS, CHAINS OF LIGHT - Michelle Sagara
Harcourt Brace: TOWING JEHOVAH - James Morrow
Roc: THE OAK ABOVE THE KINGS - Patricia Kennealy
Tor: THE FURIES - Suzy McKee Charnas
SUMMER KING, WINTER FOOL - Lisa Goldstein
DEMON MOON - Jack Williamson
....................
Upcoming MOVIES
....................
This is not really the "Upcoming Movies" list that Bryan D. Jones
(bdj@engr.uark.edu) puts out over Usenet every week or so. It's actually a
pared down version that he was kind enough to let us print. We thank him
and remind you that if you have any updates or corrections, please send
them on to him.
All dates are US wide release dates. -Bryan D. Jones (bdj@engr.uark.edu)
Mar 30: Thumbelina, Into the Mouth of Madness
May 6: Prison Colony
13 May: Troll in Central Park
27 May: The Flintstones
Spring: Blankman, Cartooned, The Muppet Treasure Island, Thumbelina
17 Jun: Clear and Present Danger, The Lion King (Animated)
Jun 24: Wolf, Lion King
July 1: True Lies
Jul 15: Exit to Eden
July : Angels in the Outfield
05 Aug: Time Cop
August: Tall Tale
Summer: Aliens vs. Predator: The Hunt, Clear and Present Danger, The
Flintstones, Getting Even With Dad,
Autumn: Pagemaster, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Interview with The Vampire
Nov 4: Frankenstein
Decemb: Godzilla (American), Spiderman, Batman III, Star Trek VII
Winter: With Honors
1994 : Ed Wood, The Lawnmowerman 2, The Mask, Tremors II
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--!10!-- Shoelaces of Truth: The News, The Whole News, and Nothing but the
News
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[Dedicated to Mark Twain's principle that "A lie can travel halfway around
the world while the truth puts on its shoes."]
....................
BABYLON 5 NEWS
....................
by David Strauss
The first season of BABYLON 5 has begun, and viewers all over the
country have buckled in for what's sure to be an entertaining ride. The
first few episodes of the first season were designed as a slow introduction
to the projected five year story arc, but as the season moves on, we'll be
seeing the overall arc become more prominant in individual episodes.
Ratings for B5 have exceeded Warner Brother's anticipations. The show
has ranked each week in the top 20 syndicated shows, with higher ratings
than TIME TRAX and KUNG FU: TLC. The decision on whether BABYLON 5 gets
picked up for a second season will be made in late-April. If you like what
you see, be sure to contact your local station that carries B5 and let them
know you'd like it to continue.
The big news on alt.tv.babylon-5 lately has been discussion over the
creation of a Babylon-5 rec group, entitled rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon-5.
Voting completed March 18, and the results will probably be known between
the time this column was written and the new issue was released.
Filming for the first season of B5 completes on March 23. Several
episodes still have major post-production work required, especially the
ones with long CGI sequences. New episodes will probably be run during
April and May, with a summer of mainly reruns, so that the final run of new
episodes will be shown during the November sweeps, including the season
finale, "Chrysalis."
Several veteran actors will appear later in the season, including JUNE
LOCKHART and THEODORE BIKEL. (For a list of other actors who will be
appearing in the first season, see the issue 2:1 of CV.) Also look for a
soundtrack album by CHRISTOPHER FRANKE, possibly as early as this summer.
If you'd like to learn more about the BABYLON 5 universe, a recent
cover story in the magazine CINEFANTASTIQUE would be required reading,
although it does contain some spoilers about the first season. (The guide
to first season episodes is also severely outdated. The spoilers included
in this issue of CV are far more current.) The best net.source for
BABYLONJ5 information is the FTP site at ftp.hyperion.com, or its faster
echo at ftp.uml.edu. Included there are various text files with background
information, episode guides, synopses, and even early drafts of a fan-
produced tech manual. For the more historically minded, there's files on
the history of ancient Babylonia, which the show's creator, J. MICHAEL
STRACZYNSKI, has mentioned as giving hints to the direction of the B5 story
arc.
On a personal note, your author is proud to say he became one of the
first members of the B5 fan community to have a character named after him
in a BABYLON 5 episode. Just watch "The Parliament of Dreams" and listen
for a reference to the (unseen) waiter at the Fresh Air restaurant. That's
me. ;)
....................
And a note from BABYLON 5 creator Joe Straczynski:
If I can put a word out onto the electronic web ... usually, in the
network shows, a series runs its course, and at the end of the season, the
network decides whether or not to renew. Because of the schedule of PTEN,
the decision to renew or not comes in April/May.
While the ratings are good -- mention of the B5 ratings got a headline
in today's "Hollywood Reporter" along with ST -- there's a new wrinkle in
the situation. The new Paramount Network. They're making deals with
stations as fast as they can, snatching up the independent stations and
trying to secure the few remaining available timeslots (which with the glut
of programs now are continually growing smaller in number). So for a
station, it's a choice between two or more shows that might rate equally
fine, but there's outside pressure.
Point being this (and anyone who wants to upload this entire message
to other nets, feel free): if -- IF -- you genuinely enjoy the show, and
would like to see it renewed, this would be a very good time to drop your
local TV station a letter indicating this. The stations have a direct
input as to whether or not shows are renewed. It certainly couldn't hurt.
jms
....................
HIGHLANDER NEWS
....................
by Debbie Douglass
I am happy to report that main unit filming for "HIGHLANDER III: THE
MAGICIAN" was completed in Montreal in February. Location work is now
proceeding in Japan, Australia, and Scotland. Sorry, no release date
information is available at this time. One minor correction to the cast
listed in the last issue: The female lead will be DEBORAH UNGER.
Well, it looks like CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT will finally realize his dream
of breaking-in to Hollywood studio films. Despite his international box
office draw (HIGHLANDER II, KNIGHT MOVES and FORTRESS collectively earned
$150 million overseas in contrast to the disappointing performance of a
total of $30 million in the U.S.) he will temporarily abandon his normally
high fee to work for Universal Studios in the film KIRINA (aka CORINA or
KORINA) in April. LAMBERT will be working for scale plus 10%. JOHN
LAWTON, who wrote "Pretty Woman," will be directing this tale of an
American in Japan pursued by assassins. Lambert fans shouldn't worry
though. H has already committed to doing FORTRESS II for 20th Century Fox
for fee befitting a superstar. FORTRESS II is expected to start production
late this year in Australia. Even though I have enjoyed all of his previous
films, I hope that maybe one of these days we'll see our favorite actor in
a film using his lovely native accent again.
Attention Diet Pepsi fans: MEILANI PAUL, one of the Uh-Huh girls (and
wife of Highlander star ADRIAN PAUL) will have a guest role in "Counterfeit
Part I", the first of the two part season finale for Highlander: The
Series.
HIGHLANDER: THE ANIMATED SERIES was announced at the New York Toy
Fair last month scheduled to premiere in September '94. Previously released
information describes the scenario for the series set far in the future,
following a Holocaust, where much of civilization has crumbled. None of the
current characters from film or TV will be featured. Accompanying the
announcement was a display of an animated hero with ponytail, leather
boots, blue tights, padded shoulders, spiked shield, broadsword, and puffed
sleeves posed in front of Gothic-style ruins. Shall we get in line for our
action figures now? ;-)
Please help us ensure that Highlander is picked up for a third season.
Write Keith Samples, C/O Rysher TPE, 3400 Riverside, Burbank CA 91505 with
comments about what *you* like about Highlander. Also write your local
station to encourage them to keep Highlander on their schedule.
[For more information about all things Highlander read the Highlander
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions and answers (including the Episode Guide)).
It is posted to the USENET newsgroups rec.arts.sf.tv, rec.arts.sf.movies,
and alt.cult-movies once a month. If you don't have access to USENET, then
send an e-mail message to Debbie_Douglass@DL5000.bc.edu. Include 'Send HL
FAQ' in the Subject line and your request will be handled automatically.]
....................
STAR TREK NEWS
....................
by TJ Goldstein
As ST:TNG draws to a close, old favories are returning. "Genesis"
will see the return of Barclay (DWIGHT SCHULTZ), the second to last episode
will include Ensign Ro (MICHELLE FORBES) despite past denials -- and
Patrick Stewart will direct that episode -- and "Journey's End" will see
the return of Wesley Crusher (WIL WHEATON), The Traveler (ERIC MENYUK), and
several of the more minor characters, such as Jack Crusher and Admiral
Necheyev.
"Journey's End" will feature the forced relocation of an American
Indian group from the planet they have settled. This is significant
because one of the characters mentioned for ST:VOYAGER is a member of this
group.
As for movie plans, according to convention reports, the TNG movie,
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS will see appearances from only three of the original
cast members, WILLIAM SHATNER, JAMES DOOHAN, and WALTER KOENIG. They will
appear in only about 20 minutes of the fim. LEONARD NIMOY has refused to
appear in the film because he doesn't like the script, but there is no word
on whether the ohter TOS cast members are absent from the film by their
choice or the studio's. The film will go into production at the start of
April, immediately after STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION finishes filming.
And in related news, Disney's "Action Friday" series of cartoons will
reportedly include GARGOYLES, featuring the voices of JONATHAN FRAKES and
MARINA SIRTIS, according to TV GUIDE.
....................
OTHER TV NEWS
....................
FROM THE EDITOR: It's letter writing season in the science fiction
universe, as shows battle to keep themselves on the air. General hints for
conducting a letter writing campaign were carried in Volume 1, Issue 2 of
CV, but we thought we'd add two more:
First, write to and call your local stations, especially if the show
is in syndication. A syndicated show's fate is determined by how many
stations buy the right to air it.
Second, write to your newspapers. That right, newspapers. A
television columnist for a major newspaper was mentioning to ye olde editor
that she had to turn down an interview with one of the stars of an sf show
for the simple reason that they weren't getting any letters about it. So
look for the television columnist in your local or national newspaper,
think of a question relating to whatever show it is you're trying to save,
and send it in. You'll give the columnist an excuse to give it some press.
Contrary to rumors, SEAQUEST has not been cancelled, nor has the decision
as to whether to carry the show next year been made, at least as of
March 24, 1994. Cast and crew are still hoping and expecting to be renewed
for next year, according to spokesman Vic Heutschy.
ROBOCOP has hit the small screen in syndication -- and not cheaply, either.
Skyvision Entertainment bought the rights from Orion and decided to take
him back to his roots, spending $36.5 million (yes, thirty six and a half
MILLION dollars) on the production. Robocop creators EDWARD NEUMEIER and
MICHAEL MINER wrote the premiere and set the tone for the show. Instead of
the ultra-violent Robocop that has lately been seen on the big screen, this
is a Robocop struggling to regain his humanity. Added to the universe is
Gadget, a twelve year old orphan adopted by the Sargeant, Diana, who is
"the ghost in the machine" -- a woman who was murdered so her brain could
run the huge computer network that controls the city, and Commander Cash,
and animated mascot for Omni Consumer Products (OCP) who will appear in
each episode to extol the virtues of consumerism and advertise the
wonderful things OCP brings the citizens of Detroit. The show stars
RICHARD EDEN ad Robocop, YVETTE NIPAR as Officer Lisa Madigan, BLU MANKUMA
as Sgt. Stan Parks, SARAH CAMPBELL as Gadget, ANDREA ROTH as Diana Powers,
and DAVID GARDNER as the Chairman of OCP.
According to USA today, DEAN CAIN will be starring in an action thriller
his father, CHRISTOPHER CAIN (YOUNG GUNS) is directing. USA TODAY also
carries an interview with L&C producer DEBORAH JOY LEVINE on which she
reportedly say that the "vibes for renewal are good." There had been a
letter to the editor of a comics magazine claiming that the show had
already been cancelled, but this is absolutely not true. (Letter writing
wouldn't hurt, though, of course.)
PHYLLIS COATES and JAMES EARL JONES will be appearing in the two-part
season finale of LOIS AND CLARK. Coates, who played Lois in the original
SUPERMAN television series, will be playing Lois's mother.
Frustrated by the abrupt end of ALIEN NATION? Relief is in sight. Fox is
making ALIEN NATION: DARK HORIZON, a two hour television movie that will
re-tell the story of the last episode, solve it, and take up a plot where
those who enslaved the Newcomers in the first place return to re-take their
slaves -- and the human race. The original television cast will return.
It will air later this year.
Another round of QUANTUM LEAP videos are due out, but the fate of future
releases depends on pre-orders. That's right, whether or not other videos
will be released reportedly depends on how many people ask for this batch
before they actually arrive in the stores. In fact, in order to count,
they need to be pre-ordered before April 6. The episodes that will be
arriving April 20 are "The Leap Home (parts one and two)", "Jimmy", "Shock
Theater", and "Dreams". DEBORAH PRATT reportedly told guests at Quantum-
Con that "Dreams" will have never-before-seen footage.
In other QL news, stymied in efforts to get radio stations to play SCOTT
BAKULA'S version of "Somewhere in the Night," Crescendo Records is taking
advide and repackaging the single with less QL oriented artwork.
Apparently adult contemporary stations, which normally would play it, were
put off by the heavy QL emphasis.
Fox has bought 65 episodes of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN for Saturday morning
cartoons and 20 more episodes of X-MEN. Genesis Entertainment is making an
hour-long cartoon which for the first year will feature Iron Man and the
Fantastic Four, which will supposedly be closer to the original comics.
STEVEN SPIELBERG is attempting to obtain the rights to DR. WHO in order to
produce an American version of the show. Nothing is definite and a new
Doctor has not been chosen, even though some rather large names have been
bandied about.
....................
MOVIE NEWS
....................
WILLIAM GIBSON's JOHNNY MNEUMONIC will finally be making it to the big
screen. Based on the short story of the same name, KEANU REEVES will play
Johnny, a man with stolen Yakuza information stored in his brain trying not
to get killed by DOLPH LUNDGREN. Probably because of her place in the
sprawl novels, the character of Molly Millions could not be used, and has
been replaced by Jane, played by DINA MEYER. She's basically the same
character, however, as "we've stuck very close to the original story, and
Mr. Gibson is VERY involved with the project. He's written the screenplay
himself," says unit publicist Wendi Laski. She couldn't quote a budget
figure but says that "the sets look spectacular." The film is being
directed by ROBERT LONGO, and ICE-T will play Dog. Tri-Star will
distribute it in the U.S., and MDP in the rest of the world.
In other news from the brain-implant front, the low budget film CYBERTEENS
IN LOVE is the first recipient of Canada's "Next Wave" competition. The
film, which stars JUSTINE PRIESTLY and MARTIN CUMMINS, is the first project
to use Sony's new Digital Betacam format, which allows it to be output in
either 35 mm film format or in a 4x3 aspect for television. It's directed
by BRETT DOWLER for Shadowface Productions in accosciation with British
Columbia Film and The National Film Board - Pacific Centre.
If you've got a copy of the laserdisk of WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, hold onto
it. Disney animators reportedly had a little fun, figuring that nobody
would catch on if they played with a frame or two. Rumored to be available
to those with a laserdisk and freeze-frame: a full frontal nude shot of
Jessica Rabbit, an explicit sexual encounter, and, of all things, Disney
chief MICHAEL EISNER'S home phone number. Known to be present are three
frames where Jessica's dress is flying and her underwear is missing.
According to newspaper reports, 100,000 copies of the disk were originally
pressed, and Disney, which says that since the film was technically put out
by subsidiary Touchstone it was not subject to Disney's rigorous standards,
will probably not re-press the film without the offending frames.
LOU BUNIN, best known for his 1951 classic ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which
pioneered film puppeteering techniques, died February 17 of a stroke.
KURT RUSSELL and JAYE DAVIDSON will be starring in STARGATE. Filmed in
Yuma, it's a high budget film about Marines "warped" into a futuristic
desert planet. From Carolco.
Faced with a proposed law requiring ratings for video games, the industry
promised to institute a voluntary rating system that would label the sex
and violence content of games going to marked after November 1 and
"submitted by publishers in a timely fashion," Jack Heistand, chairman of
the industry group charged with coming up with the new ratings system said
in newspaper reports. Congress is not prepared to drop the bill, however,
until the system is firmly in place.
JOHN CANDY (SPACEBALLS, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, 1941) died March 4 of a
heart attack. He was nearing the end of filming WAGONS EAST with RICHARD
LEWIS in Mexico. He was 43 years old.
JON PETERS, producer of BATMAN and creator of Polygram Pictures, is heading
back to Warner Bros. after a stint as co-chairman and producer at Sony
Pictures.
Loch Ness researchers, far from being happy with the famous 1934 photo of a
sea serpent poking its head out of the water, were actually relieved this
month to find out that the whole thing was in fact a fake cooked up by a
self-styled big game hunter hired to find the monster after the first
sighting in 1933. According to newspaper reports, one of the last living
co-conspirators confided in researchers from his deathbed that it was
actually a model serpent's head on a toy submarine. Apparently the photo
contradicted other research into Nessie, so researchers are glad to find
out it's a fake. In early March the Inverness Tourist Board announced that
early April would see the beginning of tourist trips beneath the surface of
Loch Ness for those who wanted to look for the monster. According Reuters,
they will ride six at a time for $105(US) in a specially adapted research
sub.
There is talk of a fourth RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK film, but there's just
one problem. Although HARRISON FORD has said in interviews that he would
be willing for the right script, director STEVEN SPIELBERG has been riding
the wave of seriousness generated by his magnum opus, SCHINDLER'S LIST, and
has said that he couldn't go back to easy films right now. In fact, he
only got to do the film at all by promising to make JURASSIC PARK first in
case just such a thing happened. Spielberg told Reuter that "I can't make
a musical or a western or a sequence to RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. I just
could not do this now." He plans to "take a year off and think about my
life and my career."
TriStar is reportedly making a film out of the original FOUNDATION TRILOGY
by ISAAC ASIMOV. Directed by JEAN-JAQUES ANNAUD (QUEST FOR FIRE), it is
due out either in late 1995 or summer of 1996. If it does well they plan
to make fims out of the other books.
Some upcoming horror films: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD PART III, CANDYMAN
II, HELLRAISER IV, and another NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, reportedly dealing
with time periods between other films.
According to the Helper's Network Hotline, Spelling Entertainment is
looking into the possibility of a movie based on BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
Fans are urged to send their support of such a venture to Spelling
Entertainment, attention: Marcia Basichis, Senior Vice President of
Development, 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. The phone number
for the Helper's Network Hotline is 513-961-3317.
Those who have bemoaned the absense of a Robin to the cinematic version of
BATMAN may or may not be happy with BATMAN III. There's going to be a
Robin, all right, and open casting calls are being held around the country
looking for him. But BURT WARD he won't be. Director JOEL SCHUMACHER is
reportedly looking for someone a bit tougher. Avenues they are exploring
besides the usual include reccommendatons from gang liasons and parole
officers.
....................
WRITTEN SF NEWS FROM ANSIBLE
....................
by Dave Langford
The following news is from Dave Langford's newsletter ANSIBLE and is
reprinted with permission. ANSIBLE is now available electronically from
ansible@cix.compulink.co.uk. For more info on the paper version, write to
Dave Langford, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AU. Fax 0734
669914.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. Does your small-press magazine review horror
books or movies? Just watch it. PAUL BARNETT explains: "In mid-February
John Gullidge, editor of SAMHAIN, was stitched up in the WESTERN MORNING
NEWS and EXETER EXPRESS & ECHO in the wake of the seizure elsewhere in the
country of whole stacks of video nasties; according to these papers,
SAMHAIN was little more than a trading ground for such stuff and the police
were about to swoop. The E&E also made a jolly link-by-proximity (as a
tag-on piece) between John's activities and the Jamie Bulger memorial
service, with a good plug about how the judge had said it was all caused by
CHILD'S PLAY 3 -- but nothing, of course, about the police refutation of
that claim.
In fact SAMHAIN rarely even mentions video nasties (as opposed to
legit horror movies) except in passing, and enjoys excellent relations with
the trading standards people, who feel that John's conduct of the magazine
is -- so far as their interests are concerned -- exemplary. The E&E knew
this but didn't bother to mention it; the WMN did not know it because
they'd omitted to do any in-depth research such as ringing John up (a
failing which they pathetically described as "no one was available for
comment"). With the true instinct for integrity in journalism, neither
paper deigned to print a letter from him correcting these and other errors
of fact; and John doesn't feel he can either sue or go to the Press
Complaints Commission because some of his other activities rely on
reasonable relations with these formerly sycophantic slime-buckets.
The net result is that as far as the local population is concerned,
there is a Monster in our Midst. John is getting ill treatment in the
streets to the extent that he goes out as little as possible; several
parents have withdrawn their kids from the Woodcraft Folk group of which he
is playleader, and he's been summoned to an extraordinary meeting to be
confronted by them; etc. The whole thing makes me see red. Grrr!"
The above was faxed to both papers for comment. None as yet.
CECELIA HOLLAND has finally read William James's SUNFALL trilogy, noted
here last year as bearing a Curious Resemblance to her 1969 historical
novel UNTIL THE SUN FALLS. Ms Holland seems to agree, in an incandescent
letter which we may publish after she's taken legal advice. Latest rumour:
devotees of her mediaeval novels THE EARL (in UK, A HAMMER FOR PRINCES) and
GREAT MARIA may also find happy memories in the pages of SUNFALL.
JOHN HOLM, Harry Harrison's collaborator on THE HAMMER AND THE CROSS, is
(unsecretly) Tom Shippey. His minor billing may not reflect his share of
the novel: one pundit reckons it's "90% Shippey." Yet the US Tor edition
omits "Holm" entirely....
JACK KIRBY died on 6 Feb. ROB HANSEN writes: "Born Jacob Kurtzberg, Kirby
was one of the true giants of the US comics industry. Starting in 1935 with
newspaper strips, he developed a repertoire of techniques that by the time
of his Marvel Comics work in the 1960s had given his artwork unparalleled
power and dynamics. For better or worse, Kirby established the visual
grammar of superhero storytelling; his influence was immense. He created
CAPTAIN AMERICA with JOE SIMON in 1941, but will be most widely remembered
for his ground-breaking 1960s work on FANTASTIC FOUR, THOR, INCREDIBLE
HULK, X-MEN, etc."
TERRY PRATCHETT, in an astonishing reversal of expectations, won the BCA
Fantasy & SF Author of the Year Award (latest addition to the commercially
oriented British Book Awards).
CARL SAGAN disliked Apple's use of "Carl Sagan" as internal nickname for a
planned computer. Insider sources now add that he chiefly objected to the
company of sister projects named Tesla, Piltdown Man and Cold Fusion. Thus
the machine briefly became the BHA, for "Butt-Head Astronomer" ... only to
be renamed, in short order, the LAW: "Lawyers Are Wimps".
HELEN SHARMAN, Astro-OBE, will present the Arthur C.Clarke Award on 20
April: Kennedy Room, Irish Centre, Murray St, Camden. 6pm for 7:30. MC:
Geoff Ryman. More data: David V.Barrett.
BRUCE STERLING heard from a Brit who got a job in telecomms after reciting
large chunks of THE HACKER CRACKDOWN at his interview: "Suggested
promotional line for the sf audience of the 90s: 'Read Bruce Sterling and
actually get a job'."
THE DEAD PAST: Almost remembered US fan Tom Perry has a squib on HEINLEIN
in Damon Knight's MONAD #3 which may outrage the easily outraged. Tracking
down the 30's political activity which RAH kept so dark, Tom finds it was
(by US standards) left-wing: erstwhile socialist Upton Sinclair's "End
Poverty In California" platform. The "moderate Democrat" story told to and
published by Jerry Pournelle seems untrue in numerous details. Tom wonders
if RAH suppressed this innocuous-seeming data in fear of Nixon and McCarthy
(whose investigations he ironically "saw little wrong with"), since EPIC
links could be taken as evidence of "un-American activities". Was this why
Heinlein was touchy until death about his 1941 Worldcon speech, threatening
legal action in 1973 when the text -- arguably in the public domain -- was
reprinted through the well-meaning efforts of FORREST J ACKERMAN? Its
second paragraph approvingly mentions Sinclair-as-politician, you see....
TOO GOOD TO CHECK. "A fan of HITCH-HIKER was in a bar with a friend who
worked in a nut house. The fan happened to use one of the HHG tag-lines
("Here, put this fish in your ear" or something) and the shrink jumped up
saying, "WHAT?!" Seems they had a guy locked up who would only respond to
questions with HHG bits; since a lot of psychos have languages all their
own, and no-one who'd dealt with this guy knew HHG, they were going nuts
themselves trying to decipher him." [NR] Just needed a fish in the ear,
really.
AMAZING STORIES suspended publication after appearing since 1926; current
owners TSR may have it redesigned. [_SFC_]
....................
OTHER WRITTEN SF
....................
The new generation of STAR WARS fans (ie, anybody who's not old enough to
have seen it in the theaters originally) will finally get to read the
original spin-off novel, SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE, by ALAN DEAN FOSTER,
when it's released this month by Del Rey. KEVIN ANDERSON'S book STAR WARS:
JEDI SEARCH debuted in the top ten, and the week of March 9th it was number
two on the PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY list. Anderson, who keeps up with the
Fidonet SW echo, took some time to thank net.fans for their support.
Del Rey has also contracted with bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, best
known for the Forgotten Realms Dark Elf novels THE STARLESS NIGHT and THE
LEGACY, for three fantasy novels, beginning the the summer of 1996.
ORSON SCOTT CARD has finally finished the Homecoming Saga. THE SHIPS OF
EARTH, the third book, is out this month, EARTHFALL, the fourth, is due out
in January 1995, and the fifth will be out the following May. Having done
that and turned it in to Tor, according to Tor editor Patrick Nielsen
Hayden he will now work on the fourth Alvin novel.
ROBERT ANTON WILSON, author of more than 20 books including the
SCHRODINGER'S CAT trilogy and THE ILLUMINATUS! trilogy (with ROBERT SHEA),
died February 21 of an apparent heart attack. He was 63.
DIANE DUANE will be writing a SPIDER-MAN novel for Byron Preiss Visual
Communications. Due out in spring of 1995, it will NOT be a novelization
of the upcoming Spidey film.
NESFA 1993 Hugo Recommendations
For a second year, the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) is
maintaining a list of Good Stuff to read. Any NESFA member who reads
something that they would like to recommend to others to be considered for
a Hugo nomination can add it to the list. We will publish it from time to
time in Instant Message and on the nets. (Feel free to reproduce it
provided you reproduce it intact!) It's neither definitive nor complete,
but it contains the stories, novels and non-fiction works that a bunch of
well-read fans feel may be worthy of a Hugo nomination.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Ring of Swords / Eleanor Arnason / Tor / gf
Forward the Foundation / Isaac Asimov / Doubleday / arl, rk
Against a Dark background / Iain M. Banks / Orbit, Bantam
Spectra / ca
Moving Mars / Greg Bear / Tor / mlo, gf
Glory Season / David Brin / Bantam Spectra / arl
Agyar / Steven Brust / Tor / ec, ks
The Door into Sunset (UK, '92) / Diane Duane / Tor / ec, ks
Growing Up Weightless / John M. Ford / Bantam Spectra /
cjh, gf, ks
The Thread That Binds the Bones / Nina Kiriki Hoffman /
AvoNova / po, gf, ks
Nimbus / Alexander Jablokov / AvoNova / ec
Beggars in Spain / Nancy Kress / AvoNova / gf, ca
Red Dust / Paul J. McAuley / Gollancz / ca
Green Mars / Kim Stanley Robinson / Harper Collins UK /
daa, ca, mlo, gf
Lord of the Two Lands / Judith Tarr / Tor / ec, mlo, pal
Virtual Girl / Amy Thomson / Ace / sls, gf, ks
The Destiny Makers / George Turner / Morrow/AvoNova / ec
The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump / Harry Turtledove / Baen / by
The Well-Favored Man / Elizabeth Willey / Tor / mlo, po
The Harvest / Robert Charles Wilson / Bantam / ca, gf, daa
Nightside the Long Sun / Gene Wolfe / Tor / gf, ec, mlo
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Beauty Addict / Ray Aldridge / Full Spectrum 4 / gf
The Night We Buried Road Dog / Jack Cady / F&SF, Jan / ca, gf
Mephisto in Onyx / Harlan Ellison / Omni, Oct / sls, gf
Dancing on Air / Nancy Kress / Asimov's, Jul / arl, gf
Einstein's Dreams / Alan Lightman / Pantheon / el
Into the Miranda Rift / G. David Nordley / ASF, Jul /
arl, tp, ca, gf, pal, daa, mlo
Deus X / Norman Spinrad / Bantam / el
Down in the Bottomlands / Harry Turtledove / ASF, Jan / arl
Wall, Stone, Craft / Walter Jon Williams / F&SF Oct-Nov /
arl, ks, gf
---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Shadow Knows / Terry Bisson / Asimov's Sept / arl, gf
Tourist Attraction / Juleen Brantingham / Amazing, Aug / arl
Men of Good Will / J. R. Dunn / Amazing, Mar / ca, mlo
A History of the Antipodes / Phillip C. Jennings / Amazing, Mar /
ca
The Franchise / John Kessel / Asimov's, Aug / gf
Sunshine, Genius and Rust / Jeffery D. Kooistra / ASF, May / arl
Beneath the Stars of Winter / Geoffrey Landis / Asimov's, Jan /
gf, ca
Because Thou Lovest the Burning Ground / Michael Kube-McDowell /
Alternate Warriors - Resnick / Tor / arl
Papa / Ian R. MacLeod / Asimov's, Oct / ca
The Dakna / Jamil Nasir / Asimov's, Sept / arl, ca
Sister Alice / Robert Reed / Asimov's, Nov / ca
The Arrival of Truth / Kristine Kathryn Rusch /
Alternate Warriors - Resnick / Tor / arl, gf
Georgia on My Mind / Charles Sheffield / ASF, Jan / gf, ca
Suicidal Tendencies / Dave Smeds / Full Spectrum 4 / gf
Deep Eddy / Bruce Sterling / Asimov's, Aug 93 / gf
The Ape That Ate the Universe / Ian Stewart / ASF, Jul / tp, gf
In Dreams / Andrew Weiner / Asimov's mid-Dec 93 / arl
Death on the Nile / Connie Willis / Asimov's, Mar 93 / gf
------------------------------------------------------------------
Everything that Rises Must Converge / Michael Armstrong /
Asimov's, Feb / gf, ca
Afterschool Special / Paul DiFilippo / Amazing, Jun / ca
Campbell's World / Paul DiFilippo / Amazing, Sept /
ca, arl, mlo, gf
Promised Lives / Julia Ecklar / F&SF, Sept / el
Steam / John Griesemer / Asimov's May / ca
Touching Fire / Nicola Griffith / Interzone 70, April / arl
The Battle of Long Island / Nancy Kress / Omni, Feb/Mar /
ca, gf, mlo
Hugh Merrow / Jonathan Lethem / F&SF Oct-Nov / arl
The Passage of the Light / Barry N. Malzberg / SF Age, Nov / arl
The Color of Sunfire / Larry Niven / Bridging the Galaxies / kevs
Procrustes / Larry Niven / Bridging the Galaxies / kevs
Blind / Robert Reed / Asimov's, May / arl, gf
Mwalimu in the Squared Circle / Mike Resnick / Asimov's Mar 93 /
Alt. Warriors / arl, gf
The Light at the End of the Day / Carrie Richerson / F&SF Oct-Nov /
arl
The Story So Far / Martha Soukup / Full Spectrum 4 / gf, ca
Sacred Cow / Bruce Sterling / Omni, Jan / gf
The Murderer / Lawrence Watt-Evans / Asimov's, Apr / el
----------------------------------------------------------------
Once Around the Bloch / Robert Bloch / Tor / ca, ks
The John W. Campbell Letters, Vol II: Asimov & Van Vogt /
Perry A. Chapdelaine, Sr. / AC Projects / mlo
PITFCS: Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies /
Theodore Cogswell / Advent / ca, mlo
Adventures in Unhistory / Avram Davidson / Owlswick / gf, mlo
Encyclopedia of SF / Clute & Nicholls / St. Martin's / mlo, gf, pal
Morgoth's Ring / Christopher Tolkien / Houghton Mifflin / mlo
The Art of Michael Whelan / Michael Whelan / Bantam / gf
Time Machines / P. J. Nahin / American Inst. of Physics Press /
mlo
----------------------------------------------------------------
5-Minute Retrospective of SF / Connie Willis / Nebula banquet / el
Groundhog Day / / / gf
Jurassic Park / / / ca, jam, sls, pf
Oedipus Rex / / PBS / el
Saltimbanco / Cirque de Soleil / / ca, daa
Timescape / / ST:TNG 6/19/93 / ca
Vampyr: A Soap Opera / / A&E / el
Nightmare Before Christmas / Tim Burton / Disney / sls, kp,
cmcd, pf, ca, daa
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Agyar / Jim Burns / Cover of Steven Brust's novel (Tor) / ca
The Consort / Jim Burns / Cover of Asimov's, Apr 93 / ca
Lord of the Two Lands / David Cherry / Cover of Judith Tarr's
novel (Tor) / ca, mlo
Orcaurora / Bob Eggleton / / sls, ged, sls
Space Fantasy Stamps / Stephen Hickman / / el, kevs
Chimera / Peter Peebles / Mary Rosenblum's novel (Del Rey) / ca
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Maggie Flinn
Holly Lisle
Carrie Richerson
Amy Thompson
Elisabeth Willey / mlo
Key to nominators:
ca: Claire Anderson, daa: Dave Anderson, ec: Elisabeth Carey, ged: Gay
Ellen Dennett, gf: George Flynn, pf: Pam Fremon, mh: Mark Hertel, rk: Rick
Katze, el: Evelyn Leeper, pal: Paula Leiberman, arl: Tony Lewis, jam: Jim
Mann, lm: Laurie Mann, cmcd: Craig McDonough, mlo: Mark Olson, po:
Priscilla Olson, kp: Kelly Persons, sls: Sharon Sbarsky, ks: Kurt Siegel;
kevs: Kevin Standlee, by: Ben Yalow
....................
SF IN FRENCH AND FRENCH SF NEWS
....................
by Jean-Louis Trudel
The Winter SF season saw a batch of new and interesting books come on
the market. In Canada, the new Sextant imprint of Quebec/Amerique was
launched with the publication of Elisabeth Vonarburg's alternate history
novel LES VOYAGEURS MALGRE EUX (The Reluctant Travellers) and of Joel
Champetier's horror novel LA MEMOIRE DU LAC (The Memory of the Lake).
Both novels have Quebec settings, and Champetier's novel is reportedly
doing well in the stores. Novels by Jean-Pierre April and Francine
Pelletier are expected to appear under the same imprint, perhaps by the
end of the year.
Canada's francophone SF authors continue to find an outlet in young
adult fiction. Last Fall, in addition to Stanley Pean, there was Michel
Belil who ventured into the field with a fiction collection called LA
GROTTE DE TOUBOUCTOM (The Cave of Toubouctom). This Spring, Jean-Louis
Trudelis turning out his first young adult novel, ALLER SIMPLE POUR
SAGUENAL(One Way Ticket to Saguenal), for the Editions Paulines of
Montreal, which is also releasing a fantasy novel at the same time, by
young veteran JoelChampetier: LE SECRET DES SYLVANEAUX (The Secret of the
Sylvans).
On the magazine scene in Canada, SOLARIS 108 offered up interviews
ofQuebec author Jean Dion and of French illustrator and artist Jean-
YvesKervevan, whose beautifully gruesome art graced the issue's cover.
Therewere three stories: "La derniere orbite" (The Last Orbit) by new
authorPierre Dion, "Contamination" by Jean-Louis Trudel, and "Les
yeuxtroubles" (Misty Eyes) by Claude Bolduc. Dion's short story, about
anincident involving a space station, the Space Shuttle, and the Russians,
would not have been out of place in an American SF magazine like ANALOG.
My own story focused on aliens defeated by humans and dealing with human
tampering with their reproductive system. Bolduc's story was his best so
far, a suspenseful tale of terror about a man's possession by another.
The latest issue of IMAGINE..., numbered 66, included stories by
Frenchand Canadian authors. The best was by Harold Cote, who crafts in
"M8v"(not a stellar classification, but a planetary designation) a
quiteclassical SF story, with a mystery that has to be solved rationally.
On the other hand, Claude Bolduc's "Rouge" (Red) is a rather banal vampire
story and Thierry Di Rollo's "Le Grand-Mainate" (The Great Mynah) seems
somewhat pointless, as the tale of two ill-fated explorers meanders to
itsend. Quite cleverer is Jean-Pierre Guillet's "Dodo!" (Sleep!), a
gadgetstory with a soft horror twist ending. In the same issue,
DanielleTremblay's serial "Pas de paradis sans... l'enfer" (No Paradise
without... Hell) continues with a second episode devoted to a young man's
initiationinto a New Age version of Starfleet Academy...
In France, the most prestigious imprints which still include novels
byFrench authors are put out by Denoel. Last October, it re-issued
anotherclassic SF book, ODYSSEE SOUS CONTROLE (Odyssey Under Control)
byStefan Wul. In November, it published Serge Brussolo's new MANGE-
MONDE(World-Eater) and TERRITOIRES DE L'INQUIETUDE 7 (Lands of Anxiety7),
an anthology of fantastic/fantasy edited by Alain Doremieux and gathering
stories by American and French authors. The French contributorswere Jean-
Pierre Andrevon, Richard Canal, Jean-Claude Dunyach, andRaymond Milesi, all
well-known names in French SF.
Finally, in January, Denoel put out one French SF novel, LES
PERSPECTIVES DU MENSONGE (The Perspectives of Mendacity) by newcomer Yves
Ramonet, and one French fantasy novel, LA MORT PEUT DANSER (Death Can
Dance) by veteran Jean-Marc Ligny. The difference in experience shows.
Ramonet's novel wanted to set a hectic, helter-skelter pace through
variousrealities, but winds up being chaotic and boring. Ligny's novel,
inspired by the alternative musical group DEAD CAN DANCE, is modern
fantasy, shifting between the story of Forgaill in twelfth-century Ireland
in the time of the Norman invasion and the story of a group called DEATH
CAN DANCE in twentieth-century Ireland. It's entrancing, it's the best
novel I've read from Ligny, and it's one of the best French fantasy novels
I've read. It has the warmth and the personability of the works by Charles
de Lint and Emma Bull, but it also has the maturity of the greats like
Robert Holdstock and John Crowley.
The other major French SF line is the Fleuve Noir Anticipation. One
recent novel there is ARAGO, by Laurent Genefort. Despite some inventive
flashes, it's essentially a vacuous and gratuitously violent quest story,
set on a colony planet of Earth.
French SF novels from J'ai Lu are rarer, but L'HISTRION (The Buffoon)
by Ayerdhal ranks as their principal effort of the last months of 1993.
Finally, in Switzerland, the House of Elsewhere, a museum of
sciencefiction and fantasy, is presenting its "Alien & Heidi" exhibit of
SwissSF art until April 24. On May 1st, it will launch its
"Parapsychologie"exhibit on ESP in SF, which is scheduled to last until
October 23.The House of Elsewhere, better known as the Maison d'Ailleurs,
is located in the Swiss town of Yverdon-les-Bains, North of Lausanne.
............
Japan Report
............
by David Milner
GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA recently completed its run in Japanese
theaters. The film was very successful, but it did not do quite as well as
last year's GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA.
The twenty-first Godzilla film is scheduled to be released in Japan in
December. It tentatively is going to pit Godzilla against both an updated
version of Mogera, the giant robot that appears in THE MYSTERIANS, and
"space Godzilla," a monster somehow created from the remains of the one
brought to life by the combining of cells from Godzilla, a woman and a rose
in GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE. The baby Godzilla introduced in GODZILLA VS.
MECHAGODZILLA also will be in the film.
Toho's special effects crew recently completed work on MONSTER PLANET
- GODZILLA, a 3D ride featuring Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan that is
scheduled to open at the Sanrio Puroland amusement park located just
outside of Tokyo in the middle of March.
A concert featuring music written by Akira Ifukube for a number of the
Godzilla films was held near Osaka on November 23rd. The orchestra was
conducted not by Ifukube, but instead by Masaru Sato, who scored GODZILLA
RAIDS AGAIN, GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER, SON OF GODZILLA and several
other monster films. A CD will be released in Japan sometime during the
summer.
Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, the two people who wrote the script for
Walt Disney's ALADDIN, have completed the script for TriStar's upcoming
Godzilla film. The film reportedly will be directed by Alex Cox, whose
credits include REPO MAN, SID & NANCY, STRAIGHT TO HELL and WALKER.
Shooting is scheduled to get underway in May.
Toho has announced that it will release LEGEND OF JAPAN, a film
loosely based on the 1959 epic JAPAN BIRTH, in Japan in July. Previews for
the film featuring a few shots of the Yamata no orochi (hydra of Yamata)
have already begun running in Japanese theaters.
It has also been announced that GIANT MONSTER DECISIVE AIR BATTLE
GAMERA will be released in Japan in March or April of 1995. It is going to
pit Gamera against Gaos, the giant vampire bat seen in both GAMERA VS. GAOS
and GAMERA VS. GUIRON.
Due out within the next few months are new Godzilla games for the
Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Turbo Duo and Gameboy. All three
feature Godzilla battling a number of other monsters. Also in the works for
the SNES is a game called MILO VS. GODZILLA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!11!-- Spoilers Ahoy! (And season 3 of the TWILIGHT ZONE Episode Guide)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
BABYLON 5: (Listed in production order, as of 931218.)
Week Of Prod # Title
-----------------------------------------------
3/21/94 103R Midnight on the Firing Line
3/28/94 102R The Soul Hunter
4/04/94 104R Born To The Purple
4/11/94 101R Infection
4/18/94 113 Deathwalker
4/25/94 105 Believers
5/02/94 111 Survivors
113. Deathwalker - Written by LARRY DITILLIO. Directed by BRUCE
SETH GREEN. A woman is using human guinea pigs to create a
formula for achieving immortality. Focuses strongly on the
politics of B5 and back-room deals between not only the Big
Five governments but also the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.
Guest starring SARAH DOUGLAS and ROBIN CURTIS.
105. Believers - Written by DAVID GERROLD. Directed by RICHARD
COMPTON. Dr. Franklin asks Sinclair to intermediate with an
alien family who, because of their religious beliefs, refuses
to allow surgery that would save their dying child.
Introduction of a new recurring character, Dr. Maya Hernandez
(SILVANA GALLARDO). Guest starring JONATHON KAPLAN, TRICIA
O'NEIL, and STEPHEN LEE.
111. Survivors - Written by MARC SCOTT ZICREE. Directed by JIM
JOHNSTON. Garibaldi's past catches up to him, with some
fairly disastrous consequences that will linger long after the
episode is finished. He's blamed by some for an accident
aboard B5, which leads to hitting the bottle again after a
prolonged abstinence. Originally titled "A Knife in the
Shadows."
109. Grail - Written by CHRISTY MARX. Directed by RICHARD COMPTON.
A traveller played by DAVID WARNER comes to B5, seeking the
Holy Grail. This episode will feature a substantive on-camera
role for a CGI alien and includes a CGI sequence that shows
how ships get from the interior of the main docking bay down
to the customs and loading bays. Also guest starring WILLIAM
SANDERSON and TOM BOOKER.
112. Chrysalis - Written by JMS. Directed by JANET GREEK. First
Season finale, shot twelth due to the extensive post-
production work required. This episode will feature a major
turn that will have lasting effects on all the characters, and
possibly change the entire direction of the series.
114. By Any Means Necessary - Written by KATHRYN DRENNAN. Directed
by JIM JOHNSTON. About the inner workings of B5, the
blue-collar types who keep the whole place operational, and
what happens when that falls apart. Londo interferes in an
important Narn religious observation which leads to another
confrontation between him and G'Kar. Guest starring JOHN
SNYDER and KATY BOYER. Originally titled "Backlash."
115. Legacies - Written by D.C. FONTANA. Directed by BRUCE SETH
GREEN. A girl entering puberty begins to exhibit telepathic
abilities, and the crew must decide whether to turn her over
to the Psi Corps. The only first season script so far that
was developed outside the B5 offices. Guest starring JOHN
VICKERY.
116. Signs and Portents - Written by JMS. Directed by JANET GREEK.
B5 has to confront the threat of pirates on the frontier. A
combat-heavy show, with large amounts of CGI, including a
sequence with three squadrons of ships engaged in a fast-paced
battle that goes on for most of an act and a half. Guest
starring GERRIT GRAHAM. Originally titled "Raiding Party."
118. Babylon Squared - Written by JMS. Directed by JIM JOHNSTON.
We learn what happened to Babylon 4, but in the process there
are more questions asked then answered. We also get to see
the Minbari Great Hall and the chambers of the Grey Council.
119. TKO - Written by LARRY DITILLIO. Directed by JOHN FLYNN. A
Rabbi (THEODORE BIKEL) helps Ivanova come to terms with her
father's death. Also guest starring GREG MCKINNEY.
All information is from Joe Straczynski, on the GEnie Science Fiction
RoundTable, or the Usenet newsgroup alt.tv.babylon-5.
ROBOCOP: THE SERIES
3/14/94 Robocop: The Future of
Law Enforcement (two
hour opener)
3/21/94 Prime Suspect
3/28/94 Trouble in Delta City
4/04/94 Officer Missing
4/11/94 What Money Can't Buy
SEAQUEST DSV
3/13/94 Treasures of the Mind
3/20/94 The Last Lap at Luxury
3/27/94 Brothers and Sisters
4/17/94 Photon Bullet
"Treasure of the Mind" -- Tony and Oscar nominee Topol (FIDDLER ON THE
ROOF) guest stars as Dr. Hassan, a scientist helping Bridger and Dr.
Westphalen study an extraordinary find by the seaQuest: the sunken library
of Alexandria, which teams from greedy nations hope to plunder for its
priceless, ancient artifacts. Meanwhile, the UEO places a group of mind
readers on board to search out a highly placed leak aboard the seaQuest.
"The Last Lap at Luxury" -- When UEO Secretary General Andre Dre calls the
firs United Earth/Oceans Organization summit in two years, the room where
guest speaker Lucas and confederation leaders convene mysteriously breaks
away from an underwater resort. Admiral Noyce and Captain Bridger search
for clues to the strange disappearance and unravel a plot to change the way
the UEO does business.
"Brothers and Sisters" -- Bridger and Lucas work to coax a group of
abandoned children to safety aboard the seaQuest when the crumbling
munitions facility they live in is threatened by an underwater typhoon.
Skeptical of the seaQuest's efforts, the children's leader, Zach, takes
Ford hostage and refuses to leave the munitions outpost.
"Photon Bullet" -- Lucas is in his element when Martin Clemens summons him
to the Pacific Ocean's Node Three, a high-tech information and
communications hub operated by a group of teen-aged whiz kids. But when
the hackers want him to crack the World Bank's computer codes so that they
can re-direct funds to humanitarian causes, Lucas wrestles with the
temptation to accept the ultimate hacker's challenge.
TIME TRAX
3/14/94 31 The Cure
3/21/94 22R Mysterious Man
3/28/94 21R Framed
4/04/94 18R Beautiful Songbird
4/11/94 19R Photo Finish
4/18/94 30 Perfect Pair
4/25/94 36 Catch Me If You Can
To Be Scheduled:
32 Almost Human
31. "The Cure" -- Darien races to stop Dr. Sahmbi, who's doing a booming
business "curing" wealthy cancer victims with lethal doses of TXP, which
offers temporary relief before poisoning the unsuspecting patients.
30. "Perfect Pair" -- Darien is reunited with his reckless former partner
Mace Warfield, an unpredictable cop sent back to track down a corrupt
former police commander who has escaped to the past.
36. "Catch Me If You Can" -- Darien joins forces with a small town woman
sheriff (guest star Nacy Everhard) to track down an old adversary from the
future who is using a weapon he stole from Darien to mount a bank-robbing
spree.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION
3/19/94 271 Genesis
3/26/94 272 Journey's End
4/02/94 261R Force of Nature
4/09/94 262R Inheritance
4/16/94 263R Parallels
4/23/94 273 First Born
4/30/94 274 Bloodlines
...
5/21/94 277/278 All Good Things
(Two-hour finale)
"Genesis" -- Data and Picard return to the Enterprise to find that the
entire crew is de-evoloving into prehistoric creatures.
"Journey's End" -- The Traveler returns, as does Wesley Crusher, who
considers open rebellion when the Enterprise is forced to relocate a group
of American Indians from the planet they have settled.
STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
3/19/94 438 Profit and Loss
3/26/94 439 Blood Oath
4/2/94 426R Melora
4/9/94 427R Rules of Aquisition
4/16/94 428 Necessary Evil
4/23/94 440 The Maquis Part I
4/30/94 441 The Maquis Part II
"Profit and Loss" -- Quark will risk anything to win back an old flame.
There's just one problem: she's a Cardassian on the run.
"Blood Oath" -- Dax, bound by a blood oath with three Klingons, risks her
future -- and her life.
HIGHLANDER: THE SERIES
3/7/94 93217 Warmonger
3/14/94 93206(R) The Zone
3/21/94 93207(R) Return of Amanda
3/28/94 93210(R) Epitaph For Tommy
4/4/94 93212(R) Under Color of
Authority
4/11/94 93211(R) The Fighter
4/18/94 93213(R) Bless The Child
4/25/94 93218 Pharaoh's Daughter
5/2/94 93219 Legacy
5/9/94 93220 Prodigal Son
5/16/94 93221 Counterfeit Part 1
5/23/94 93222 Counterfeit Part 2
"Pharoh's Daughter" -- Nefertiri was Cleopatra's handmaid, buried 2000
years ago with her mistress. Now revived, she pursues a vendetta against
the Immortal Marcus Constantine, who was her lover and her enemy.
"Legacy" -- Amanda's mentor Rebecca is killed, and Amanda is determined to
avenge the death, even though it means going up against formidable Immortal
Luther, and very possibly losing her head.
"Counterfeit" -- In the second of the two part season finale, Alexandra
Vandernoot (who played Tessa) makes a very special appeareance.
PRISONERS OF GRAVITY
3/9/94 Fairy Tales
3/16/94 Vampires
3/30/94 Aliens
4/6/94 Sexism and Feminism
4/13/94 Comic Book Layout
4/20/94 The Brain and
Artificial
Intelligence
X-FILES
3/18/94 118R Miracle Man
2/15/94 112R Fire
4/1/94 119R Shapes
4/8/94 113R Beyond The Sea
4/15/94 120 Darkness Falls
"Miracle Man" -- When several inform and crippled people mysteriously die
after being tended to by a young faith healer, Mulder and Scully fly to
Tennessee to investigate his ministry. Have the young man's miraculous
healing abilities turned from good to evil? Or is he a charlatan with a
murderous bent?
"Fire" -- When several of Britain's top politicians die suddenly in
mysterious fires, high level scurity is called for to protect the prime
minister who is thought to be the next target. Mulder's old Oxford flame,
now a Scotland Yard detective, enlists his and Scully's help to look after
the minister and his family while they are on vacation in the U.S. Mulder
must confront his own fear of fire when they uncover that fact that the
assassin posessed startling pyrotechnic abilities.
"Shapes" -- Mulder and Scully travel to a small Montana town to investigate
the shooting death of a young Native Indian man. the rangers who killed
the Indian insist they were shooting at a wild animal which Mulder believes
to be a Manitou -- an evil spirit that can change a man's body into that of
an animal.
"Beyond the Sea" -- After two North Carolina students are kidnapped by a
serial killer, Scully and Mulder seek the aid of a convicted killer
awaiting execution who claims his psychic powers can help them rescue the
teenagers before they are killed. When the convict's clues establish
several key facts about the identity and whereabouts of the killer, Scully
must weigh her own skepticism of psychic abilities against the startling
accuracy of the information.
SCI-FI CHANNEL MARCH MOVIE SCHEULE
We don't have anywhere near enough room to print the entire Sci-fi channel
schedule, but here's a list of the first day each movie will be shown in
the month of March.
3/05/94 DESTINATION INNER SPACE, TRANSFORMATIONS (NEW), BEYOND THE RISING
MOON, PARTS: THE CLONUS HORROR
3/06/94 THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN, SPIDERMAN: THE DEADLY DUST, THE INCREDIBLE
HULK RETURNS, TRIAL OF THE INCREDIBLE HULK, DEATH OF THE
INCREDIBLE
HULK
3/12/94 STOWAWAY TO THE MOON, THE BAMBOO SAUCER, THE NIGHT THAT PANICKED
AMERICA, DEEP RED, THE NIGHT THAT PANICKED AMERICA
3/13/94 KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE
3/19/94 THE LAND UNKNOWN, THIS ISLAND EARTH. KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, THE
BLACK CAT (1990)
3/20/94 OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK, WORLD OF DRACULA
3/21/94 DR. CYCLOPS
3/22/94 DR. RENAULT'S SECRET
3/23/94 DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS
3/24/94 DR. COOK'S GARDEN
3/25/94 THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK
3/26/94 TENNIS COURT (NEW), MYSTERY ON MONSTER ISLAND, PIN, THE BLUE
MONKEY, MYSTERY ON MONSTER ISLAND
3/27/94 KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, KING KONG ESCAPES
[Editor's note: The TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE GUIDE is reprinted with
permission from the author. It has not been edited except to serialise it
and condense it space-wise. All text is intact. The original is available
by FTP from gandalf.rutgers.edu.]
[This file is from the Sf-Lovers Archives at Rutgers University. It is
provided as part of a free service in connection with distribution of
Sf-Lovers Digest. This file is currently maintained by the moderator of
the Digest. It may be freely copied or redistributed in whole or in part
as long as this notice remains intact. If you would like to know more
about Sf-Lovers Digest, send mail to SF-LOVERS-REQUEST@RUTGERS.EDU.]
===========================
TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE GUIDE
===========================
Revision of 9/82
===========================
Saul Jaffe
Lauren Weinstein (vortex!lauren@LBL-UNIX)
Lauren's rating system
* ugh. pretty bad.
** has merit.
*** good, solid show.
**** particularly good.
***** superlative.
[Season One was carried in Issue 1:6. Season Two was in 2:1.]
THIRD SEASON 1961-1962
TWO ***
Writer/Director: Montgomery Pittman
Cast: Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson, Sharon Lucas
In this contemporary Adam and Eve story, the two lone, frightened survivors
of a nuclear holocaust must start the world afresh.
LW: Golly, we got the other half of "Bewitched", Elizabeth Montgomery
(Samantha) herself. Strange how so many people from TZ episodes went
on to work together in the late 60's. Or maybe not so strange when you
consider the relationships built up with MGM and other studios over
this period.
THE ARRIVAL ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Boris Segal
Cast: Harold J. Stone, Bing Russell, Robert Karnes, Noah Keen, Jim Boles,
Robert Brubaker, Fredd Wayne
The aviation administration is completely baffled by the appearance of a
mysterious empty airliner - until an examiner poses the unlikely but
apparently sound theory that the craft is imaginary.
THE SHELTER ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Lamount Johnson
Cast: Larry Gates, Peggy Stewart, Michael Burne, Jack Albertson, Jo Helton,
Joseph Bernard, Moria Turner, Sandy Kenyon, Mary Gregory, John McLiam
When a possible nuclear attack is announced, several suburban friends and
neighbors are reduced to selfish, vicious animals in a struggle over one
family's bomb shelter.
LW: A strong cast (including Jack Albertson) lend power to this dramatic
story of emotions and fears running wild during a yellow alert.
THE PASSERBY **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Eliot Silverstein
Cast: Joanne Linville, James Gregory, Rex Holman, David Garcia, Warren
Kammering, Austin Green
A company of Civil War soldiers who believe they are marching home from
battle soon come to realize that they are actually dead.
A GAME OF POOL ****
Writer: George Clayton Johnson Director: A. E. Houghton
Cast: Jonathan Winters, Jack Klugman
A young pool player finds himself playing against a long-dead master pool
shark. The stakes: his life.
LW: A good one. Klugman and Winters are the only actors onstage at any
time
during this powerful and well acted episode.
THE MIRROR **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Don Medford
Cast: Peter Falk, Tony Carbone, Richard Karlan, Arthur Batanides, Rodolfo
Hoyos, Will Kuluva, Vladimir Sokoloff, Val Ruffino
In the state offices of an overthrown government, a revolutionary leader
uses a mirror reported to possess strange powers - it can show the viewer
the face of the person who will kill him.
LW: An interesting role for Faulk. The segment is really not terribly
good.
The country is obviously a thinly obscured representation of Castro's
Cuba.
THE GRAVE ***
Writer/Director: Montgomery Pittman
Cast: Lee Marvin, James Best, Strother Martin, Ellen Willrad, Lee VanCleef,
William Challee, Stafford Repp, Larry Johns, Richard Geary
When a gunman scornfully defiles an outlaw's grave, he sees the man's dying
threats come true.
LW: Not a bad cast for a TZ! Not a terribly good story, but well done
nevertheless.
ITS A GOOD LIFE ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Jim Sheldon
Cast: Billy Mumy, John Larch, Cloris Leachman, Tom Hatcher, Alice Frost,
Don
Keefer, Jeanne Bates, Lenore Kingston, Casey Adams
A rural community is held terrorized by the unearthly powers of a young
boy.
Based on a short story by Jerome Bixby.
LW: Billy Mumy and (a relatively young) Cloris Leachman playing on TZ. Will
wonders never cease? This is an interesting episode, particularly since
Serling had to spend the first five minutes setting up the basic premise
of the story by using a U.S. map and individually introducing us to the
main characters! If you have ever read the classic story of the same
name by Bixby, you will know why this was necessary.
DEATHS-HEAD REVISITED **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Don Medford
Cast: Joseph Schildkraut, Oscar Beregi, Chuck Fox, Karen Verne, Robert
Boone, Ben Wright
A visit to a concentration camp at Dachau forces a former Nazi to confront
the horrifying ghosts of his ghastly wartime crimes.
LW: A well-meaning episode, but rather poor in overall quality.
THE MIDNIGHT SUN ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Anton Leader
Cast: Lois Nettleton, Betty Garde, Jason Wingreen, Juney Ellis, Ned Glass,
Robert J. Stevenson, John McLiam, Tom Reese, William Keene
The Earth is being slowly drawn into the sun, causing drought, devastating
heat waves - and panic. This episode features an outstanding musical score
by Van Cleave.
LW: A fine episode.
STILL VALLEY ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Jim Sheldon
Cast: Gary Merrill, Ben Cooper, Vaughn Taylor, Addison Myers, Mark
Tapscott,
Jack Mann
A strange book presents the Confederate Army with a difficult choice: they
can win the Civil War - but they must make a pact with the Devil. Based on
a short story by Manley Wade Wellman.
THE JUNGLE **
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: William Claxton
Cast: John Dehner, Emily McLaughlin, Walter Brooks, Hugh Sanders, Howard
Wright, Donald Foster, Jay Overholts, Jay Adler
A contractor who has violated certain African lands must deal with the fury
of the African tribal wizard, even back home in the United States.
ONCE UPON A TIME ****
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Cast: Buster Keaton, Stanley Adams, Gil Lamb, James Flavin, Michael Ross,
Milton Parsons, George E. Stone, Warren Parker
A janitor in the late 1800s finds himself in the next century when he
innocently fiddles with his inventor-employer's contraption.
LW: Boy, is THIS a strange one! Note the presence of Buster Keaton as the
main character in the cast. The whole beginning and ending segments of
the show (whenever we are in 1880) are done as a SILENT FILM! We get
the usual slightly sped up effect, piano music, and dialog cards. When
we go into the future (or rather, OUR present), we suddenly go from
silent mode to regular sound, regular speed photography! This is one of
the class of Twilight Zone comedies, and is a very good one indeed.
FIVE CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN EXIT ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Lamont Johnson
Cast: William Windom, Murray Matheson, Susan Harrison, Kelton Garwood,
Clark
Allen, Mona Houghton, Carol Hill
Five people trying to escape from some sort of large cylindrical container
have no memory of who they are or how they came to be there. One is a
soldier, one a clown, one a dancer, and one a bagpiper. At least I think
there was a bagpiper. Hmm. There was also one other character (total must
equal five for the title to work!) Based on a short story by Marvin Petal.
LW: A good cast, and what has to be about the simplest set ever used in a
TZ, or almost any other television show for that matter.
A QUALITY OF MERCY **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Buzz Kulik
Cast: Dean Stockwell, Albert Salmi, Rayford Barnes, Ralph Votrian, Leonard
Nimoy, Dale Ishimoto, Jerry Fujikawa, Michael Pataki
A soldier gets a fresh, frightening perspective on his militaristic ways
when he suddenly experiences a war situation from the enemy's point of
view.
LW: The only notable element of this episode is Leonard Nimoy in a
relatively minor role.
NOTHING IN THE DARK ***
Writer: George Clayton Johnson Director: Lamont Johnson
Cast: Gladys Cooper, Robert Redford, R. G. Armstrong
A frightened old woman who has sealed herself off from the world to avoid
confronting death, admits a wounded policeman and soon learns that she may
have made a big mistake.
ONE MORE PALLBEARER ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Lamont Johnson
Cast: Joseph Wiseman, Trevor Bardette, Gage Clark, Katherine Squire, Josip
Elic, Robert Snyder, Ray Galvin
A rich man schemes to wreak revenge on three people who humiliated him at
various points in his life. How? By staging a fake nuclear war, just for
their benefit.
DEAD MAN'S SHOES **
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: Montgomery Pittman
Cast: Warren Stevens, Harry Swoger, Ben Wright, Joan Marshall, Eugene
Borden, Richard Devon, Florence Marly, Ron Haggerthy, Joe Mell
When a derelict dons the shoes of a dead gangster, he finds himself
following the course of the dead man's life.
LW: Not very good really, but it has a couple of fair moments.
SHOWDOWN WITH RANCE McGREW ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: C. Nyby
Cast: Larry Blyden, William McLean, Troy Melton, Jay Overholts, Robert J.
Stevenson, Robert Cornwaithe, Arch Johnson, Robert Kline, Hal K. Dawson
An obnoxious cowboy star gets his comeuppance whan he suddenly finds himself
confronting one of the outlaws who has been poorly presented in his
television show.
LW: Tongue-in-cheek. Fairly humorous.
THE HUNT ***
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr. Director: Harold Schuster
Cast: Arthur Hunnicutt, Jeanette Nolan, Titus Moede, Orville Sherman,
Charles Seel, Robert Foulk, Dexter DuPont
When a hunter and his dog are killed while stalking their prey, they go to
the Gates of Heaven, where they must deal with St. Peter. Or IS it really
St. Peter?
KICK THE CAN *
Writer: George Clayton Johnson Director: Lamont Johnson
Cast: Ernest Treux, Russell Collins, Hank Patterson, Earle Hodgins, Burt
Mustin, Gregory McCabe, Marjorie Bennett, Lenore Shanewise, Anne O'Neal,
John Marley, Barry Treux, Eve McVeagh, Marc Stevens
A children's game somehow offers rejuvenative powers to an old man.
LW: Blech. Sopping sentimentality again. A number of these crept into the
series.
A PIANO IN THE HOUSE **
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr. Director: David Greene
Cast: Barry Morse, Joan Jackett, Don Durant, Phil Coolidge, Cyril Delevanti,
Muriel Landers
The right tune played on a mysterious player piano will reveal the
listener's true nature.
LW: Note the presence of Barry Morse (later of "Space: 1999" among other
shows).
TO SERVE MAN *****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Richard Bare
Cast: Richard Kiel, Hardie Albright, Robert Tafur, Lomax Study, Theodore
Marcuse, Susan Cummings, Nelson Olmstead, Lloyd Bochner
When aliens come to Earth bearing promises of a utopian existence, the
military's suspicions and skepticism eventually prove justified. But too
late. The alien "Canamits" were executed by make-up artist William Tuttle.
Based on a short story by Damon Knight.
LW: This is a "super-classic". Probably the most popular TZ episode of all
time, and one of my personal top favorites as well. EXCELLENT.
THE LAST RITES OF JEFF MYRTLEBANK **
Writer/Director: Montgomery Pittman
Cast: James Best, Ralph Moody, Ezelle Pouley, Vickie Barnes, Sherry
Jackson,
Helen Wallace, Lance Fuller, Bill Fawcett, Edgar Buchanan, Mabel
Forrest, Dub Taylor, Jon Lormer, Pat Hector
Because a young man has seemingly awakened from the dead, the superstitious
townspeople assume he is possessed by the Devil.
THE FUGITIVE **
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: Richard L. Bare
Cast: J. Pat O'Malley, Susan Gordon, Nancy Kulp, Wesley Lau, Paul Tripp,
Stephen Talbot, Johnny Eiman, Russ Bender
A magical old gentleman uses his powers to help a sick little girl, thus
risking being returned to his home planet if agents of his planet locate
him.
LITTLE GIRL LOST *****
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: Paul Stewart
Cast: Sarah Marshall, Robert Sampson, Charles Aidman, Tracy Stratford
A couple can hear their daughter's desperate cries, yet she is nowhere to be
found - she's fallen through an invisible "hole" in her wall, and is lost in
the fourth dimension.
LW: Another classic. Another excellent episode.
PERSON OR PERSONS UNKNOWN ***
Writer: Charles Beaumont Director: John Brahm
Cast: Richard Long, Frank Silvera, Shirley Ballard, Julie Van Zandt, Betty
Harford, Ed Glover, Michael Kelp, Joe Higgins, John Newton
A man's day gets off to a bizarre start when he awakens to discover that no
one knows who he is.
LW: Richard Long also starred in several other TZ's over the years.
THE GIFT **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Allen Parker
Cast: Geoffrey Horne, Nico Minardos, Cliff Osmond, Edmund Vargas, Carmen
D'Antonio, Paul Mazursky, Vladimir Sokoloff, Vito Scotti, Henry Corden
A group of Mexican villagers are convinced that a downed flyer is, in fact,
an extraterrestrial.
THE LITTLE PEOPLE ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Bill Claxton
Cast: Joe Maross, Claude Akins, Michael Ford
Everything is relative, as a space traveler soon learns when he proceeds to
lord his size over the tiny folk who inhabit a planetoid.
FOUR O'CLOCK **
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Lamont Johnson
Cast: Theodore Bikel, Phyllis Love, Linden Chiles, Moyna MacGill
Based on a short story by Price Day.
Theodore Bikel is cast as demented Oliver Crangle, a man dedicated to the
expulsion of evil... at all costs. His plan: reduce all the evil people in
the world to 2 feet tall, at 4 o'clock.
THE TRADE-INS ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Elliot Silverstein
Cast: Joseph Schildkraut, Noah Keen, Alma Platt, Ted Marcuse, Edson Stroll,
Terrene De Marney, Billy Vincent, Mary McMahon, David Armstrong
Youth isn't all it's cracked up to be, as an old man learns when a mind and
personality transplant gives him a lonely new life in a young new body.
LW: Actually, he doesn't get the body until near the end of the show. The
primary focus of the episode is that he and his wife only have enough
money for ONE of them to be transplanted. A good show.
HOCUS POCUS AND FRISBY ****
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Lamont Johnson
Cast: Andy Devine, Milton Selzer, Howard McNear, Dabbs Greer, Clem Bevans,
Larry Breitman, Peter Brocco
The town windbag so impresses a visiting group of aliens (who are
masquerading as humans) with his tall tale stories that they attempt to take
him back to their planet for study as a prime Earth specimen. Based on a
short story by Frederic Louis Fox.
LW: Crusty-voiced Andy is perfect in his role. Very humorous.
THE DUMMY ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Abner Bibberman
Cast: Cliff Robertson, Frank Sutton, George Murdock, John Harmon, Sandra
Warner, Ralph Manza, Rudy Dolan, Bethelynn Grey
A cut-rate ventriloquist starts believing that his dummy actually has a mind
- and a will - of its own. Based on a story by Leon Polk.
THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD *
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Robert Ellis Miller
Cast: Donald Pleasance, Liam Sullivan, Phillippa Bevans, Kevin O'Neal,
Jimmy
Baird, Kevin Jones, Tom Lowell, Russ Horton, Buddy Hart, Darryl Richard,
James Browning, Bob Biheller, Dennis Kerlee, Pat Close
A popular teacher faces the prospect of a life without purpose when he is
asked to retire from his post.
LW: Very little socially redeeming value to this one.
YOUNG MAN'S FANCY **
Writer: Richard Matheson Director: John Brahm
Cast: Phyllis Thaxter, Alex Nicol, Wallace Rooney, Ricky Kelman, Helen
Brown
A young man yearns so desperately for the days of his youth that the past
does, in fact, reappear.
LW: In fact, he becomes a little boy again, and goes back to his mother
(deserting his fiance). There is a scene in the episode where the
fiance sees the elements of the man's youth, right up to his mother,
start to appear around them.
I SING THE BODY ELECTRIC *
Writer: Ray Bradbury Director: James Sheldon
Cast: Josephine Hutchinson, David White, June Vincent, Vaughn Taylor,
Charles Herbert, Dana Dillaway, Paul Nesbitt, Susan Crane, Veronica
Cartwright, Judy Morton
A girl comes to understand that a grandmother can be a tender, thoughtful,
caring, loving woman. Even if she is a robot.
LW: To all the Bradbury fans out there, I'm sorry, but this episode is
TERRIBLE. Probably one of the five worst TZ's ever made. Is dripping
in
sentimentality, has rather poor acting, and is generally a lose.
CAVENDER IS COMING ***
Writer: Rod Serling Director: Chris Nyby
Cast: Carol Burnett, Jesse White, Howard Smith, William O'Connell, Pitt
Herbert, John Fielder, Stanley Jones, Frank Behrens, Albert Carrier, Roy
Sickner, Norma Shattuc, Rory O'Brien, Sandra Gould, Adrienne Marden,
Jack Younger, Danny Kulick, Donna Douglas, Maurice Dallimore, Barbara
Morrison
In this pilot for a never-launched series, a klutzy guardian angel's
attempts to make a bumbling woman happy don't work out quite as expected.
LW: If it weren't for the presence of Carol Burnett and Jesse White, I
would
only give this TWO stars. Another guardian angel plot. Obviously, it
was a comedy. Carol tries hard despite a horrid script. Jesse White has
played many character roles, but perhaps is best known as the lonely
Maytag repairman! The basic plot is VERY similar to the "Mr. Bemis"
episode above. By the way, this episode had one very unusual aspect, it
was the only TZ with a LAUGHTRACK!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--!12!-- Contests and Awards
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Genre television nominees for Feb. 27th's American Society of
Cinematographers Awards, given out February 27, 1994
One episode of a regular series: David Tattersall, THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES
CHRONICLES, "Istanbul"
Movie of the Week or Pilot: Kenneth Zunder, seaQuest DSV, Pilot, Thomas
Del Ruth, ASC, X-FILES, Pilot
One Episode of a mini-series: Phedon Papamicheal, "Wild Palms, The
Floating World" (part 2)
STEVEN SPIELBERG won the Director's Guild of America award for his work on
SCHINDLER'S LIST. The DGA award winner almost always wins the Oscar, but
there are a few exceptions, and in 1985 Spielberg was one of them, but that
year his film, THE COLOR PURPLE, hadn't even been nominated for the Oscar.
Genre and related winnerS of the People's Choice awards, given out March 8,
1994:
Motion Picture: JURASSIC PARK
Actress In A Comedy Motion Picture: Whoopi Goldberg
Genre and related winners of the 44th annual American Cinema Editors
Awards,
given out March 13, 1994.
Motion Picture: Michael Kahn, SCHINDLER'S LIST Amblin/Universal Studios
Episode from a television series (half hour): Stephen Lovejoy, TALES FROM
THE CRYPT: People Who Live In Brass Hearses, Tales from the Crpyt
Productions/Home Box Office
Winner of the Writer's Guild of America award for Best Adapted Screenplay:
SCHINDLER'S LIST, Steven Zaillian.
ALADDIN was the winner of four Grammy awards March 1, 1994: Song of the
Year, Best Musical Album for Children, Best Instrumental Composition
Written for a Motion Picture or Television, and Best Song Written
Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.
And finally ... genre and related nominees for the 66th annual Academy
Awards, given out March 21. Winners annotated with.
Best Picture: SCHINDLER'S LIST, THE FUGITIVE
Best Actor: Liam Neeson, SCINDLER'S LIST
Best Supporting Actor: Ralph Fiennes, SCHINDLER'S LIST; Tommy Lee Jones,
THE FUGITIVE
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, SCHINDLER'S LIST
Best Adapted Screenplay: SCHINDLER'S LIST, Steven Zaillian
Best Foreign-language Film: BELLE EPOQUE (Spain), FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE
(Hong Kong), HEDD WYN (United Kingdom), THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA
(Vietnam), THE WEDDING BANQUET (Taiwan)
Best Original Score: THE FUGITIVE, James Newton Howard; SCHINDLER'S LIST,
John Williams
Best Film Editing: THE FUGITIVE, Dennis Virkler, David Finfer, Dean
Goodhill, Don Brochu, Richard Nord and Dov Hoenig; SCHINDLER'S LIST,
Michael Kahn
Best Art Direction: ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES, Ken Adam and Marvin March;
SCHINDLER'S LIST, Allan Starski and Ewa Braun.
Best Cinematography: THE FUGITIVE, Michael Chapman; SCHINDLER'S LIST,
Janusz
Kaminski
Best Costume Design: SCHINDLER'S LIST, Anna Biedrzycka-Sheppard
Best Makeup: SCHINDLER'S LIST, Christina Smith, Matthew Mungle and Judith
A.
Cory
Best Animated short film: BLINDSCAPE, THE MIGHTY RIVER, SMALL TALK, THE
VILLIAGE, THE WRONG TROUSERS
Best Sound: THE FUGITIVE, Donald O. Mitchell, Michael Herbick, Frank A.
Montano and Scott D. Smith; JURASSIC PARK, Gary Summers, Gary
Rydstrom,
Shawn Murphy and Ron Judkins; SCHINDLER'S LIST, Andy Nelson, Steve
Pederson, Scott Millan and Ron Judkins
Sound effects editing: THE FUGITIVE, John Leveque and Bruce Stambler;
JURASSIC PARK, Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns
Visual effects: JURASSIC PARK, Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett and
Michael Lantieri; THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Pete Kozachik, Eric
Leighton, Ariel Velasco Shaw and Gordon Baker
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--!13!-- Conventions and Readings
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Submit convention listings to xx133@cleveland.freenet.edu in the format:
CON NAME: Month, day, year; Hotel or Convention Center; City, State,
Country; GUESTS; Cost until deadline, Cost after deadline (please specify
currency); Full address for information; Telephone (if applicable); e-mail
address (if any)
Convention listings are provided as a public service. Cyberspace Vanguard
is not affiliated with any of these conventions and takes no responsibility
for anything to do with it.
................
LUNACON '94: March 18-20, 1994; Rye Brook, NY, USA; Rye Town Hilton
(914/939-6300); VONDA McINTYRE, JAMES WARHOLA, WALTER R. COLE, DEAN
FRIEDMAN, WALTER & LOUISE SIMONSON, PETER GRUBBS; $40 at the door, children
discounts; LUNACON '94, P.O. Box 3566, New York, NY 10008-3566, USA; ; Lee
Thalblum: @CompuServe 76477,3613, @GEnie L.Thalblum, @America OnLine
LeeT15, or Robert Rosenberg: @CompuServ 73766,267, @GEnie HAL9001.
NORWESCON 17: March 31 - April 3, 1994; Seattle, WA, USA; Red Lion Hotel;
KATHERINE KURTZ, SCOTT McMILLAN, PEGGY RAE PAVLAT, JANNA SILVERSTEIN; ; ;
206/248-2010; bartroff@u.washington.edu.
1994 BRITISH EASTERCON, SOU'WESTER IN LIVERPOOL: April 1, 1994; Liverpool,
England; Adelphi Hotel; DIANE DUANE, NEIL GAIMAN, BARBARA HAMBLY, PETER
MORWOOD, THOG THE MIGHTY; #27 (Postal memberships must be received by March
14, 1994); Chris Bell, 3 West Shrubbery, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6SZ;
ansible@cix.compulink.co.uk.
SOU'WESTER (EASTERCON): April 1-4, 1994; ; Liverpool, UK; #27, No postal
membershps after 14 March 1994; ; 3 West Shrubbery, Redland, Bristol, BS6
6SZ, UK.
CRACKERCON 3: April 8-10, 1994; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Community
College at Jacksonville - Kent Campus; TED STETSON, CHERYL MANDUS, CHARLES
FOUNTENAY, GARY ROEN, JACK HALDERMAN, VINCE COURTNEY, RON WALOTSKY, REMBERT
PARKER, KEN & BETH MICHERONEY, plus more; $20; CrackerCon3, P.O. Box 835,
Jacksonville, Florida 32239-8356 USA; recommened hotel - Holiday Inn Orange
Park (904/264-9513); kmeyers@nyx10.cs.du.edu.
I-CON XIII: April 15-17, 1994; Long Island, New York, USA; State University
of New York at Stony Brook's campus; HARLAN ELLISON, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, PETER
DAVID, E. GARY GYGAX, GREGORY BENFORD, GEORGE TAKEI, MICHAEL O'HARE, J.
MICHAEL STRAZINSKI, RON MOORE, LOLITA FAJO, PETER DAVID, BOB ROZAKIS, DON
HECK, DAN SLOTT, RAY LAGO, GLENN GREENBURG, JORDAN RASKIN, ARNE STARR, MIKE
LING, RICK BRYANT, FRANK TERAN, BRIAN CIRULNICK, MIKEY DAIR, ROB MILES,
NEIL NADELMAN, STEPHEN PEARL, MICHAEL PINTO, RICHARD UYEYAMA, and more; 3-
day passes until 3/31: Adult - $25, Student (w/ID) - $13, Child - $8, at
the door: Adult - $28, Student (w/ID) - $15, Child - $10, cheaper one-day
passes available as well as Family passes; ; 516/632-6045.
TECHNICON 11: April 15-17, 1994; Blacksburg, VA, USA; ELLEN GUON, TOM
MONAGHAN; Technicon 11, c/o VTSFFC, P.O. Box 256, Blacksburg, VA 24063-0256
USA; (703) 951-3282; Technicon@VTCC1.cc.vt.edu
MARCON 29, The Midwest's Permiere Science-fiction and Fantasy Convention:
May 13-15, 1994; Hyatt Regency Hotel at the Greater Columbus Convention
Center; Columbus, OH, USA; BORIS VALLEJO, PHILIP JOSE-FARMER, BARBARA
HAMBLY, BARRY B. LONGYEAR, FORREST J ACKERMAN, JULIUS SCHWARTZ, WHITE WOLF
GAMES; babysitting available; PO Box 211101, Columbus, OH 43221 USA; (614)
451-3154; 70004.1457@compuserve.com
MEXICON 6; May 20-22, 1994; Hertford Park Hotel; Stevenage; #9.50; 121
Cape Hill, Smethwick, Warley, West Midlands, B66 4SH.
EUROCON: May 26-29, 1994; Timisoara, Romania; IAIN BANKS, JOHN BRUNNER,
HERBERT FRANCKE, JOE HALDEMAN, STANISLAW LEM, FREDRICK POHL, FRANZ
ROTTENSTEINER, NORMAN SPINRAD; $20(US) until 12/31/93, $35(US) until
2/15/93, $45 until 3/31/83, supporting/attending for East Europeans $5(US);
Sigma Club, Post Office 3, Box 49, 5600 Piatra Neamt, Romania; 40-96-136
731, 40-96-144 416, fax: 40-96-119 434
THE ALTERNATE PRESS EXPO (APE) 1994: June 4, 1994; San Jose, CA, USA;
Parkside Hall; DAVE SIM (Cerebus), JEFF SMITH (Bone), JEE LeVINE (No Hope),
SCOTT SAAVEDRA (Dr. Radium), TERI S. WOOD (Wandering Star), ADRIAN TOMINE
(Optic Nerve), NINA PALEY, KEITH KNIGHT, ALDIN BAROZA (Tales from the
Heart); $4; ; Slave Labor Graphics, 1-800-866-8929.
SCIENCE FICTION DAYS-NEW 1994: July 2-3, 1994; ; Duesseldorf, Germany; DM
30 (until December 31, 1993), afterwards, DM 35; KATHERINE KURTZ
(DERYNI-CYCLE), GEORGE ALEC EFFINGER; Accomodation in hotel and youth
hostel; Stefanie Pulla, pulla@engelscs.uni-duesseldorf.de, or
pulla@mx.cs.uni-duesseldorf.de; (Theme: Ecology in Science Fiction &
Fantasy).
Science Fiction Research Association Annual Meeting; July 7-10, 1994;
Woodfield Hilton and Towers; Arlington Heights, IL; SHERRI S. TEPPER;
OCTAVIA BUTLER, ALEX & PHYLLIS EISENSTEIN, PHILIP JOSE FARMER, JIM GUNN,
FRED POHL, JOAN SLONCZEWSKI, JOAN VINGE, JACK WILLIAMSON, GENE WOLFE;
$115(US); Elizabeth Anne Hull, William Rainey Harper College, Palatine, IL
60067 or Beverly Friend, Oakton Community College Des Plaines, IL 60016;
708-635-1987; friend@oakton.edu; [CALL FOR PROPSAL OF PAPERS AND SESSIONS
(Deadline March 1) to Hull - send 2 copies. Conference Wn paper proposal
possibilities: with special emphasis on papers dealing with the attending
authors]
SHORE LEAVE 16 (Fan Run Star Trek Convention): July 8-10, 1994; Hunt Vally,
MD, USA; Hunt Valley Mariott Inn; TERRY FARRELL, TONY TODD, PETER DAVID,
HOWARD WEINSTEIN, BOB GREENBERGER, ARNE STARR, BOB PINAHA, more Trek guests
TBA; $40 for adults, youth and children discounts, plus extra charges for
numerous workshops; Shore Leave 16, P.O. Box 6809, Towson, MD 21285-6809;
410/825-3017 or 301/735-3957; heyer@stsci.edu.
CAPTION 94; July 9, 1994; Oxford, England; Oxford Union Society; HUNT
EMERSON, PETE LOVEDAY; advance: #10 (unwaged discount #6), #12 at the door;
Caption94, 25 Hart Street, Oxford, OX2 6BN. Note: there will be a charity
auction benefitting the London Cartoon Centre at this con. Contributions
of artwork would be appreciated. If interested, contact 0865 512293.
WISHCON III: July 29-31, 94; King Alfred's Coll, Winchester; #23; 12
Crowsbury Close, Emsworth, Hants, PO10 7TS, 0243 376596.
ARMADILLOCON 16: October 7-9, 1994; Austin, TX, USA; Red Lion Hotel
(512/323-5466); ELIZABETH MOON, DAVID CHERRY, GORDON VAN GELDER, GREGORY
BENFORD, BRADLEY DENTON, GUY GAVRIEL KAY; $20 until 3/31/94, $25 until
9/26/94, and more at the door; ArmadilloCon 16, P.O. Box 9612, Austin,
Texas 78766-9612, USA; 512/339-0673 before 10 p.m. CST, or leave a message
at 512/453-7446 anytime; cracker@indial1.io.com.
WHO'S 7 (DR/BLAKE EVENT): October 29-10, 1994; Wueens Hotel; Crystal
Palace, London, UK; VARIOUS GUESTS; #30 (pounds sterling) until the end of
'93; 131 Norman Rd, Leytonstone, London, E11 4RJ
BIG "E" CON (Fan Run Star Trek Charity Convention): October 28-30, 1994;
Norfolk, VA, USA; Omni Waterside Hotel at Norfolk (804/622-6664); MAJEL
BARRETT-RODDENBERRY, BILL CAMPBELL, ROBERT O'REILLY, SONIA HILLIOS, DAN
MADSEN, CAPT. RICHARD NAUGHTON, US NAVY ATLANTIC FLEET BAND, GRUMMAN
AEROSPACE FLIGHT SIMULATOR, more Trek guests TBA; $40 for adults, youth and
children discounts, plus extra charges for numerous workshops; Trek Rec
Deck Inc., P.O. Box 10658, Towson, MD 21285-0658; 410/825-3017 or 301/735-
3957; heyer@stsci.edu.
NECROCON 9; January 6-8, 1995; Harley Hotel; Columbus, OH, USA; Dead Guest
of Honor is H.P. LOVECRAFT; PO Box 211101, Columbus, OH 43221 USA; (614)
451-3154, 70004.1457@compuserve.com
..................................
Fantasy, SF, and Horror CALENDAR 3/17/94 (Reprinted with permission)
Please send listing information to me, the compiler: eliz@ai.mit.edu.
Include Who, What, When, Where, and Telephone Number. Repost this
anywhere, but include this header. Thanks to all contributors!
-- Elizabeth Willey
30 March 1994/ / /ROBERT DEVEREAUX and SEAN MOORE read at The Little
Bookshop of Horrors, 10380 Ralston Road, Arvada, Colorado. 19:30.
303-425-1975.
30 March 1994/ / /KIM STANLEY ROBINSON reads at The Other Change of
Hobbit, 2020 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, California. 19:00.
510-848-0413.
8 April 1994/ / /KIM STANLEY ROBINSON signs at Dangerous Visions,
13563 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, California. 18:00-20:00.
818-986-6963.
9 April 1994/ / /KIM STANLEY ROBINSON signs at Book Carnival, 348
South Tustin Avenue, Orange, California. 11:00-12:30. No phone
given.
9 April 1994/ / /JOSEPHA SHERMAN and SUSAN SHWARZ sign at Doubleday
Bookstore, Fifth Avenue and 56th Street, New York City. Call for
time. 212-397-0550.
10 April 1994/ / /OCTAVIA BUTLER reads at The Other Change of Hobbit,
2020 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, California. 14:00. 510-848-0413.
14 April 1994/ / /ELLEN DATLOW signs at Dangerous Visions,
13563 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, California. 18:00-20:00.
818-986-6963.
15 April 1994/ / /JOSEPHA SHERMAN reads and signs at Borders
Bookstore, 5151 Sunrise Highway, Bohemia, New York. 19:00-20:00.
516-244-7496
20 April 1994/ / /LUCY TAYLOR reads at The Little Bookshop
of Horrors, 10380 Ralston Road, Arvada, Colorado. 19:30.
303-425-1975.
18 May 1994/ / /EDWARD BRYANT reads at The Little Bookshop
of Horrors, 10380 Ralston Road, Arvada, Colorado. 19:30.
303-425-1975.
15 June 1994/ / /NANCY HOLDER reads at The Little Bookshop
of Horrors, 10380 Ralston Road, Arvada, Colorado. 19:30.
303-425-1975.
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--!14!-- Publications, Lists and the Like
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
InterText is a network-only bi-monthly fiction magazine. It publishes all
kinds of material, ranging from mainstream stories to fantasy to horror to
science fiction to humor. InterText has been publishing since early 1991,
and reaches thousands of readers, including readers on all six populated
continents. InterText publishes in both ASCII (plain text) and PostScript
(laser printer) formats. For more information on subscribing on submitting
stories, mail jsnell@ocf.berkeley.edu.
Illuminated Manuscripts Press is proud to announce two new fanzines
currently looking for submissions:
THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE GALAZY RANGERS is seeking art, fiction
and non-fiction about this popular syndicated animated series from 1986. A
writers guide can be obtained by either sending a 6x9 SASE to: Tara
O'Shea, SRC 244 UNM, Albuquerque, NM 87131 or emailing me at
tara@hydra.unm.edu. Submission guidelines and other information can also
be obtained via snail mail or email. The zine so far contains a rpg
suppliment, several short stories, Mark I of the Galaxy Rangers Drinking
Game, and a complete copy of the Guide, including pictures of each of the
rangers. Submission deadline is set for May 1. Price of the finished zine
has yet to be determined.
FOREVER, a zine about immortality, is seeking FOREVER KNIGHT,
HIGHLANDER, and original immortal fiction. For submission guidelines
and/or more info, please send a SASE to Tara O'Shea, SRC 244 UNM,
Albuquerque, NM 87131 or send an email request to johanna@hydra.unm.edu.
Contents so far included a FOREVER KNIGHT/HIGHLANDER crossover, "Til Time
and Times Are Done," a Highlander story, "We'll Always Have Paris," and
several Forever Knight tales from Valerie Meachum, Tanya Beaty, and Tara
O'Shea. We're sorry, but FOREVER is not accepting poetry at this time.
Submission deadline is tentatively May 1. Price of the finished zine has
yet to be determined.
There is a new mailing list dealing with fantasy costuming. To join send
mail to majordomo@lunch.asd.sgi.com with subscribe f-costume-digest or
subscribe f-costume for the direct mail version. For contact with a human
being send mail to f-costume-owner@lunch.asd.sgi.com.
To join a listserve dedicated to the discussion of LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, send mail to listserv@trearn.bitnet with the
message SUB LOISCLA <your name here> in it.
TRAX CENTRAL, a communications base and club for TIME TRAX fans. The
newletter, TEMPORT, to feature studio updates/photos and fan letters of
comment. SASE for publication date and rates to: TRAX CENTRAL, 13924
Jefferson Circle, Omaha, NE 68137."
OMPHALOS is forthcoming quarterly speculative fiction review zine. We will
be publishing reviews of both books and magazines and are always interested
in contributions. Guildelines are available. The first issue should be out
in the third week of April with the other issues coming out during the
third weeks of July, October, and January. It will be available in four
formats: ASCII, PostScript, HTML (via www), and paper. The first three are
free; the fourth is tentatively $12/year. Contact: jrrl@cs.cmu.edu or John
Leavitt, 5715 Ellsworth Ave. D-2, Pittsburgh, PA 15232.
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--!15!-- Administrivia
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crew Manifest:
PAT BERRY (Copy editor) is a 34-year-old freelance technical writer and
self-described "computer geek" living in Cary, North Carolina. He has two
children, saw STAR WARS over 30 times during its theatrical run, and annoys
his friends by quoting lengthy passages of Dave Barry's writings from
memory.
DEBBIE DOUGLASS (HIGHLANDER news) is the list owner of HIGHLA-L, an
electronic mailing list discussing HIGHLANDER."
TJ GOLDSTEIN is the editor of this monstrosity and is probably responsible
for any typos that made it into this version. TJ is beginning to think
that professional help might not be such a bad idea after all, and not just
for the magazine.
ESTHER JENKINS (Convention listings) is a bored, single, 27-year-old femme.
She's over-qualified for most every job she applies for with her two BS
degrees (one in Applied Math from Georgia Tech and one in Industiral
Engineering Technology from Southern Tech). Originally from Germany, she
moved to the States in 1973 and has been living in Georgia ever since.
Esther got introduced to science fiction and cons by an ex-boyfriend many
years ago, and is an avid reader (and collector) of books of all kinds and
comics. Right now she is working as a temp while looking for a
manufacturing job and has lots of free time on her hands to compile this
little column for Cyberspace Vanguard.
EVELYN LEEPER (Book Reviews) is best known for her lengthy convention
reports, but also writes book reviews and general commentary on science
fiction, and publishes the clubzine for the science fiction club at AT&T
that she and her husband Mark founded fifteen years ago. Her work appears
in fanzines such as LAN'S LANTERN, PHLOGISTON, and SF-LOVERS DIGEST and
on Usenet. Her 1992 output included four dozen book reviews, two
convention reports, and two travelogues, and totaled 110,000 words.
Evelyn and Mark live in New Jersey, with 18,000 books, several hundred
videotapes, and no extra space. They are currently recovering from a
three-week trip to India.
DAVID MILNER (Japan news) is a big Japanese monster movie fan who has
written for a number of different publications, such as CULT MOVIES AND
VIDEO, MARKALITE and THE KAIJU REVIEW.
LINDA E. SMIT (Reply cards) lives in Athens, GA, surrounded by Bulldog
fans, Braves fans, and a healthy enclave of scifi and fantasy fandom. Her
real job is in library acquisitions, and she works her tail off in
community theatre. Guess which one she prefers to do.
DAVID STRAUSS (BABYLON 5 news) is a second year law student at the
University of Virginia Law School. He's also a displaced New Yorker,
diehard New York Islander fan, and administrator of the Islanders Internet
Mailing List. By this time next year he hopes to be finished begging for a
job.
JOSEPH J. STROUT will be receiving his degree in Psychology from Miami
University in May of 1994, when he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive
neuroscience at another university. His current research focuses on
computational models of the human visual system. Other research interests
include neural models of attention, working memory, and visual imagery.
In his spare time, Strout serves as a programmer/analyst at a manufacturing
company and does occasional consulting.
JEAN-LOUIS TRUDEL (French news) is a Canadian SF writer. He is the author
of one novel, serialized in the magazine IMAGINE... (1985-1987), and of
several short stories in French, one of which was translated and published
in the English-Canadian anthology TESSERACTS3. In English, he is the
author of two short stories, which appeared in the English-Canadian
anthologies ARK OF ICE and TESSERACTS4, both in 1992. He has written
literary criticism for
THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF SCIENCE FICTION.
CAROL LEON-YUN WANG (Correspondent/reporter) is a recently defended Masters
student in Computer Graphics Animation who has replaced thesis deadlines
with conference submission deadlines. She is on a slow westward migration
that started in Regina, SK and is currently stalled out in Calgary, AB.
She is a voracious reader of genre books and comics, and completely
nocturnal. She still likes Capt. Kirk better than Picard, even though
William Shatner was a lousy actor and a truly atrocious director.
--
CYBERSPACE VANGUARD MAGAZINE Editor: TJ Goldstein, tlg4@po.CWRU.Edu
News and Views from the Science Fiction Universe
Send submission, question, and comments to
xx133@cleveland.Freenet.Edu or cn577@cleveland.Freenet.Edu