Nitpicky Fans: Why?

"Captain Nemo"

The Columbia Journalism Review has a cute post on newspapers who have had to run retractions on their Star Trek movie articles as the result of (their words) "hard core fans" who sent in corrections.

To be fair, the examples cited in CJR and excerpted on the Regret The Error blog aren't that nitpicky. I think things like the basic title of the movie and the alien race of the Big Bad aren't the result of basement-dwelling mouth-breathers having an Aspergers attack. I mean, the Los Angeles Times called Eric Bana's character "Captain Nemo."

But post any inaccuracy on comic book and sci-fi topics, and watch the corrections fly in. Or get stuff wrong when putting out a comic. At DC the level of editorial stressing over getting every minutia of continuity right was intense. And when the inevitable minutia got through the cracks, there was the fan backlash.

Now, I can understand the need to keep continuity and all that; to make the fantasy universe in question as rich, textured, and comprehensive as possible. When that gets into grayer matters like characterization, it can get kind of stupid, because there are often several versions and takes on the same superhero.

But why do comic book & sci-fi fans get so nitpicky? Does this happen with sports fans as well? Or with any sorta fan? Is it just in the fan DNA?

Meanwhile, Roger Ebert baits Trekkies. He's a brave one.

Occasional Links: Mad Ideas, Watchmen, Star Trek, more

Current Internet-meme-du-jour, Carl Winslow.

Was this Dilbert cartoon from 2005 yet another Nostradamus-type prediction for our current financial crisis?


Steven Grant on Grant Morrison & Final Crisis:

"Anyway, at this point the one remaining major comics writer who has consistently clung to and through his work championed the cause of mad ideas is Grant Morrison, who packed FINAL CRISIS with more mad ideas per square inch than virtually all other "mad ideas" comics combined. Many of them are brilliant, in their context. But as I mentioned last week, it hits such a density it becomes a virtual black hole of mad ideas, with such a gravitational pull that story can barely escape it, and then only the edges of the story are visible. Story in FINAL CRISIS isn't story, as traditionally understood in western literature, and certainly not in comics; it's the event horizon of mad ideas."

Joss Whedon says there will be no Dark Horse comic book tie-in for his new TV show Dollhouse:

"You know, the science fiction of this is much more fiction than science. Ultimately it’s actors acting differently, which is not that - Something you really need to see drawn. There is, however, CSI comic books. So I guess everything could be a comic book. But I don’t feel it lends itself in the same way that my other fictions have."

Take a look at Donald Duck's Family Tree.



Would Alan Moore be cool about this Watchmen video game?

"I'm not going to spoil it for those of you who haven't read the graphic novel, but I can at least say that while Watchmen was all about miserable people dealing with their own personal crises, the game wisely takes place before the events of the book."

Oy.


Eddie Izzard set to appear in Day Of The Triffids remake for the BBC...with Jason Priestley and Brian Cox! Awesomeness!


CBS is streaming classic Star Trek (that's SHATNER TREK to you, none of that Picardo stuff) in HD on their website. Episodes include Turnabout Intruder, The Trouble With Tribbles, and Mirror, Mirror.

Just to show that fan discontent transcends just comics, pro wrestling fan takes the WWE to task and tells them to Stop The Crap. An interesting point made in the post?

"Want some free promotion? Get with the times. Allow us to embed your videos!"

A look at JLA T-shirts through the ages, with a focus on Firestorm. Found on the Firestorm Fan site, of course.
Finally, this Los Angeles promotional video from the 90s gives me hemorrhoids...and not in a good way!

I love the stuttering video effects in this. Made me want to smack that drink right out of Jack Wagner's hand.

Kirk and Leia Sing: Who Was More Baked?

Kirk:



Leia:


Carrie Fisher reportedly said that she was high on drugs while singing this. I don't know what Shatner's excuse was.

Bonus: Play both clips at the same time!

Uhura Bra Scene In New Star Trek Trailer

Why is having a shot of Uhura taking off her shirt necessary for the new Star Trek trailer?

Why does the only major female character on that ship have to strip down?

(Well, obviously it's to titillate the audience with sex in hopes of better selling the movie to the public -- but I'm just letting them know I'm calling them out on it!)

see io9 for a complete shot-by-shot breakdown of the trailer.

(And yes, I know there is also a scene of a half-nude Kirk having sex with what looks to be an Orion Animal Woman. My. Point.)

Captain Janeway: "I Didn't Want To Be Sexy"

An interesting quote from Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway on Star Trek Voyager:

"They were quaking in their boots to put a woman in the (captain's) seat. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it's about sex. I didn't want her to look like someone they wanted to have sex with. I argued the fact that I didn't want her to have any sex as the first female captain because I was not going to run the risk of walking down the path that leading ladies have taken before -- to become a sexual object."

Women & Hollywood Blog via Trek Web

Kirk Bitter Over Sulu Snub

William Shatner expresses his disappointment at not being invited to George Takei's wedding on a exclusive YouTube video:

"The whole thing makes me feel badly. The poor man, there's such a sickness there. It's so patently obvious that there's a psychosis there."


He goes on to take a dig at Takei for hiding his homosexuality & then coming out of the closet later in life:

"Finally at the age of 70 he decides to come out of the closet and say: I'm gay. Like, who cares?"


"You'd think there'd be an epiphany in someone where he might have said...poor Bill Shatner."


"There must be something inside George that is festering...and he decides to take it out on me."

"It's sad...I feel nothing but pity for him."


Of course, mission accomplished, now I'm subscribed to his YouTube videos.

"Bring More Star Wars Into Star Trek," Sez Movie Writers

The writers of the upcoming Star Trek movie have suggested that what might benefit the franchise at this point is to make it a little bit more like Star Wars -- specifically...

"Original Star Wars. I want to feel the space, I want to feel speed and I want to feel all the things that can become a little bit lost when Star Trek becomes very stately -- which I love about it , but...."

Also, apparently the new movie's director/producer, J.J. Abrams, is more of a Star Wars fan than a Star Trek fan.

I think trying to "bring more Star Wars into Star Trek" sort of misses the point of Star Trek.

Yeah, Star Trek and its spinoffs have all tended to be more "stately" and talky -- dare I say, maybe even a little bit more intellectual? But that's what makes Star Trek, Star Trek.

Personally, I hear this supposed "need" to make Star Trek more like Star Wars, and all I can think of is the merchandising. More cool aliens, cute captain, beanie babies.

Meanwhile, I'll be keeping my eyes on this guy:

Censored Star Trek Episode Finally Sees Light Of Day

A "Star Trek The Next Generation" script written by "Trouble With Tribbles" scribe David Gerrold will finally be produced -- by the fans.

The Star Trek fan-film series Phase II has shot the script "Blood And Fire" -- sans special effects -- and will unveil the episode at the Shore Leave 30 science fiction convention tomorrow in Baltimore.

Gerrold's original script was nixed by "Next Generation" producers because it dealt with homosexuality and AIDS. Specifically, the episode featured gay crew members and dealt with, in Gerrold's words, "a plague so horrible that Starfleet had issued standing orders not to attempt rescue of any infected ship but to destroy it immediately."

Phase II continues stories based on the five-year mission of the Starship Enterprise, and its webisodes average around 5 million hits a month.

It makes me almost want to haul my ass over to Baltimore tomorrow to see this.

(via The Baltimore Sun)

Val Reviews Star Trek Year Four: The Enterprise Experiment #1

Star Trek Year Four: Enterprise Experiment #1

Writer: DC Fontana

Artists: Gordon Purcell & Terry Pallot

Publisher: IDW

I'll admit that I'm a sucker for anything from the original Star Trek series. The license has had a long history in comics, from Gold Key to DC to two stints at Marvel (including that instant classic "Star TreX"). Now the latest publisher to put out Star Trek comics, IDW Publishing, has turned to one of the key writers from TOS, DC Fontana, to write an arc called "The Enterprise Experiment."

The plot surrounds a damaged new cloaking device on the Enterprise that is having disastrous effects on the ship & crew. Apparently characters from the Star Trek animated series are integrated into this comic, as the 6-limbed character Arex has a prominent role.


Fontana's TV pedigree really shows, as the comic reads more like an actual episode of the series than any of the other adaptation I have read. One on hand, this might made the comic a little "talky" and cerebral for comic fans who are expecting a bare-chested Kirk wrestling a Gorn. On the other hand -- it reads like actual science-fiction, and would have an appeal, I would think, to both Star Trek & fans of the sci-fi book genre in general.

The art, by Gordon Purcell (who did "X-Files" for Topps Comics), is crisp and really nails the likenesses. I've had some problems with the occasionally murky palette on IDW's "Angel," but the colors here are bright but not overwhelming.

This is the first Star Trek book I've read from IDW, and on the whole I'm happy & will be collecting the arc.

Occasional Links: The Bare Bejeesuz Edition

Who Framed Roger Rabbit reminiscing, anyone? (This film's like 20 years old, right? Oh, crap!)

You know you've run out of good linkbait when you list the ten lamest dinosaur names.

Lego Plastic Man



More official Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull photos (featuring he-who-I-am-not-allowed-to-name)

I didn't know Paul Azaceta (Grounded, Potter's Field) is doing the art on Daredevil...the stuff looks nice!

I'm digging this Righting Wrongs Dream Team t-shirt.


Check out the "real" Homer Simpson...and the "real" Mario.

Comic Mix contemplates Wonder Woman with "Cheeseburger in Paradise"

Scans Daily revisits "What If Conan Walked The Earth Today?"

Racialicious questions the imagery of this Vogue cover with LeBron James


Is this clip of the flying Enterprise from the new Star Trek movie? Or is it a damned fake?

Hulu.com provides legit Family Guy clips for your blog:

Occasional Links: The "Ultimate" Edition

The first images of Heroes' Zachary Quinto as Spock have been released! The dude looks pretty much like a dead ringer for Leonard Nimoy. Can a revival of In Search Of be too far away in his future?


Speaking of JJ Abrams's new Star Trek movie...somebody finally got around to informing Harlan Ellison that the plot might be strikingly similar to his own work on the original television series. As you can imagine, Ellison takes it really really well...


Newsarama's Super-Articulate theorizes that you can figure out all the latest Marvel spoilers by analyzing which characters are being included in their upcoming Marvel Legends action figure waves. A conspiracy theory, you say? Hogwash and craziness? Or...utterly frocking brilliant?!


Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder says he won't do newspaper strips again, calling the venue too "sanitized." In other news, "Pearls Before Swine" now new "relevant" comic strip.


Sarah Michelle Gellar explains to Maxim why she's finally posing for their magazine:
"Lots of things. I’m 30, and I’m promoting a bunch of different kinds of movies. I like to shake things up every once in a while. It’s good to leave people wanting more, but I don’t want to leave them waiting too long or they’ll lose interest. Besides, how could I not do a Maxim shoot when I have a movie coming out in which I play a porn star?"
Darren Aronofsky called; he would like to do a movie based on that interview excerpt.


"The best way for me to avoid spending money on comic books is to not enter the comic book shop," and other advice for shopoholics. "Picking up a few comics on my way home from work? What harm was there in that?" Next thing you know, you're in Requiem for A Dream with your arm amputated and in possession of one of the best damn collections of Bronze Age Marvels on the block.


There is apparently an epidemic of people scattering cremation ashes at Disneyland. "You're dead...what are you going to do now?" "I'm going to Disneyland...whoooooooooo!!!"


Video: Here is a compilation of the best of pro wrestler Ultimate Warrior's incomprehensible speeches. Bear in mind that in the early 90s, this all made sense to me and he was awesome. (Also check out the Warrior's 1996 comic book)

William Shatner: "I Don't Do Cameos!"

William Shatner shot down rumors of him doing a guest-appearance in the new JJ Abrams "Star Trek" movie by saying "I don't do cameos." Interestingly, whle he is not in the film, Leonard Nimoy is -- and has a fairly important role in it too.

Shatner also said that even though his character, James T. Kirk, is dead, because it's sci-fi it shouldn't be a problem to bring him back "as is":

"If you can get DNA from a dinosaur...and they've been dead 160 million years...I've only been dead ten!"

Sulu To Star In High-Class
Fan Fiction Movie

From the press release (on Ain't It Cool News):

GEORGE TAKEI may be playing a hero on HEROES and serving as Howard Stern's recurring sidekick on subscription radio, but it's as the dashing Mr. Sulu, helmsman on the starship Enterprise, that he will be forever loved by the fans.

But he hardly imagined his greatest Sulu episode would come in 2007! Takei is starring in "World Enough and Time," a new STAR TREK episode produced by an amazing mix of Industry pros and fans that will be premiering at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills on August 23, 2007, with both the premiere and episode streaming real-time worldwide on the Internet – literally a world premiere.

The "webisode," which premieres Aug. 23 at www.startreknewvoyages.com, boasts co-stars like Star Trek alums Majel Barrett and Grace Lee Whitney, and a crew including "Star Wars" & "Star Trek The Next Generation" writers and designers.

But what the release doesn't really make clear is that this is essentially a high-class unauthorized fan-film.

This is pretty interesting. Is Paramount deciding not to take legal action? Could they?

Could fans and industry pros get together and make high-class fan films of cancelled series, even alternate versions of dissatisfying last episodes?

"The Sopranos: Between The Black"