As the world slowly goes mad from the deadly effects of the Pork Spare-Rib Flu, would you believe the first thought I had was "So does this mean ComiCon isn't happening??" 

Lest I start a rumor -- and I wish I had that kind of power --  ComiCon is fine. I just got my professional credentialing last night. So at the moment, no worries there.

Like poll numbers, it is probably wise not to pay attention to daily fluctuations but look at the big picture. Right now the big picture isn't visible, but with the passage of da
ys or a week, it should become clearer. The current spate of cases could burn itself out as warmer weather ensues. Flu is a highly seasonal disease, for reasons we don't understand. That wouldn't mean we were home free, however. Wherever flu hides in the "off season" (flu does find work in the southern hemisphere's winter), it can come back the following year. Those familiar with 1918 know there seems to have been a milder "herald wave" the previous spring which came back like a freight train in August. CDC is well aware of this possibility and should this outbreak wane will clearly urge and engage in continued preparation in the event this evolves in the same way.

If you want to add another source to your list,  a place to keep up with the rapidly shifting nature of this outbreak, one that's less hype and more how, then I'd say check it out.

Right now, ComiCon is safe. I should still be able to enjoy the insanity come July, without the need for a full body HAZMAT suit. But hey, if those are required to enjoy the convention this year, it's probably the one place it wouldn't look out of place.

Okay. Freaky.

Below is the latest trailer, a mere 10 seconds long, for the Season Three TORCHWOOD extravaganza. It's a five night-in-a-row mini that looks to challenge the team in new and strange ways, with some form of previously unseen evil that threatens first the children, and then all of life on Earth.  The embed below is brief but memorable. 

Watch and be spooked. 

... when his mouth is "sewn" shut for his role as Deadpool, in the upcoming WOLVERINE film.

"...Having my mouth sewn shut was definitely uncomfortable. It’s a moment where you say, “Why am I method?,” but you go for it anyway. At lunch, snorting a steak was hard, but I got it down."

----Ryan Reynolds, speaking to IESB.Net

Reading up on Bea Arthur, I also that Comedy Central is airing BENDER'S GAME, a two hour movie staring our fair FUTURAMA heroes who are transported to a loony Middle Earth / D&D-esque world and must find their way back to their own, equally loony, dimension.  It's the network broadcast of the DVD Special that came out at Xmas time. 

Here's a trailer:  

I read that Bea Arthur died late last week. I wasn't as entranced with her as some, but I do remember watching GOLDEN GIRLS and enjoying her barbs the most.

In addition to her long stage and screen career, and her memorable turn as the lead in the groundbreaking 1970s comedy MAUDE, she also appeared in the unforgettable... for a vast and expansive list of reasons that hurt the mind to ponder... STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL as the owner of the Mos Eisley cantina. 

Below is a clip from her  scene in the special, where she runs the bar, polishes the brass and blows off a one-night stand with a hole in his head.

Oh, and she sings.

Check it out: 

Sad. 

And just wrong.  Obviously the man isn't in his right mind. I think this is way, way, outside the bounds of appropriate response to the situation.

Note: Video contains non-sexual.... way non-sexual... nudity. 

Source: Police Uses Tasers on 'Naked Wizard' at Coachella -

Because he loves gays so much he's gone and joined The National Organization for Marriage.

That's right, the people who've brought us the so frighteningly funny "Gathering Storm" advert have a new board member, SF author Orson Scott Card.

Card, who's been spoken about with scorn, ridicule and derision here at doorQ.com, most recently for his "If Gay Marriage Passes, Burn Down the Government" rants, takes over for Matthew Holland, the departed board member who is also the son of one of the top 12 officials of the Church of Latter Day Saints.

Last year, Scott wrote

Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.

In addition to penning classic SF works like ENDERS GAME and ALVIN MAKER, Card has also written the scripts to the upcoming I AM LEGEND: AWAKENING video game and the recent ADVENT RISING game as well.

We're something of a cause celebre for Card. He's on record discussing how his love for his gay friends means laws should be put on the books to criminalize their / our behavior, how marriage must be defended, and how he's not, not!, a homophobe.

I've got a few other adjectives to describe you if you don't like "homophobe."

Don't spend a pink dollar on this tool, doorQs. You're just shooting yourself in the foot if you do.

Source: Box Turtle Bulletin » Orson Scott Card Joins NOM Board

If people salivated over the first TWILIGHT movie's brooding hunks what are they going to do over NEW MOON's shirtless ones? 

USA TODAY is running a picture and article about the wolfpack of FULL MOON, the upcoming TWILIGHT sequel. Chaske Spencer, Alex Meraz, Kiowa Gordon and Bronson Pelletier have now been revealed as the backup band to Taylor Lautner's lead werewolf, Jacob.

As these werewolves all have a boiling blood temperature of 108 degrees, they pretty much appear shirtless during the movie. According to the article, that makes for a crappy filming experience for the actors, but beautiful promo shots at the end of the day. 

Reasonable tradeoff, all things considered.

All of the actors for the wolfpack are Native Americans. Keeping this bit as true to the novels as they could made for a difficult casting process, but director Chris Weitz was eventually able to find four actors of Native American ancestry to fit the bill.  And who looked good shirtless.

Apparently, they've also all been through "wolf camp" together, to bond and get buff.

I smell an additional franchising opportunity right there.

Source: First look: 'Wolf pack' actors grin and bare it for 'New Moon' - USATODAY.com

"...If this show become Star Gay-T it will ruin the show for a majority of people who are repulsed by this stuff.. whoever is pushing this is having some type of mental problem and making us all look at it. Bringing it out on front pages on the wrong venue is wrong. Whatever cause these people are pushing is going to backfire.  If I am looking for some deviant desire, I do not come here and post it on the front page of website devoted to Sci-Fi shows… and rub it into other peoples faces.. it would make sense to go sing to the choir, this is not the choir..

"...if i wanted to watch lesbians i would watch porn simple Please keep the show about the SGates and Ancients it is what made you the SCI-FI giant you are today"

"Man is designed to be with a woman all the right parts fit, if you know what I mean. For example look at HDMI, the cable has male end and the TV has a female end, it would be wrong if they both had male ends or female ends it simple would not work properly. I am not trying to offend anyone just pointing out a facts"

"I am tired of hollywood/Canada productions forcing down homosexuality on tv."

Your fear of clowns is more than justified. As evidence, check out this awesome video, shot to show-off the new Cinema 21:9 LCD TV from Panasonic. (No, they didn't pay me to say that. Damn them.)

It was created by Stink Digital, as an interactive campaign to promote the TV. The Dutch company hired Director Adam Berg to show off the TV. He responded with an idea for an epic "frozen-moment-cops-and -robbers-shootout-sequence" that-included clowns, explosions, a decimated hospital, and plenty of broken glass and bullet casings.

Video link here at Youtube.

I chuckled when I came across this exchange on SomethingAwful.Com. Zack and Steve review the craziness of the class D&D Adventure Tomb of Horrors, the legendary AD&D module designed to maim, madden and down-right kill player characters. I'd forgotten there was a Gloryhole of Doom in the game. No, seriously. 

I'll let Zack and Steve explain:

Steve: One of the best (worst) things about this module is that Acererak the demi-lich is a huge asshole. He's an asshole for filling his tomb with traps AND treasure, he's an asshole because he leaves little messages throughout his tomb bragging about how he's going to kill the players, and he's an asshole because of stuff like this:

 

 

Zack: What is it, some sort of evil glory hole?

Steve: I'm afraid the only glory to be found in this hole is total destruction.

Zack: A few Republican congressmen have learned that the hard way.

Steve: What? No, this is serious stuff. It's called, "THE FACE OF THE GREAT GREEN DEVIL." 

Steve: The book says, "The face has a huge O of a mouth; it is dead black. The whole area radiates evil and magic if detected for. The mouth opening is similar to a (fixed) sphere of annihilation, but it is about 3' in diameter - plenty of room for those who wish to leap in and be completely and forever destroyed."

Zack: So it's more like an Army recruitment office.

I post this note with the sincerest hope you never look upon such tawdry things without pondering the certain doom that might await all such unfortunate adventurers. 

Or at least of the craziness of that illustration.

Followed by mood-killing laughter.

Source: WTF, D&D: Dungeon Module S1 "Tomb of Horrors"

Remember, CAPRICA, the pilot for the eagerly anticipated prequel to BSG, hits DVD shelves and downloads tomorrow.

Set 60 years before the events of the recent TV series, CAPRICA explores the world(s) that gave rise to the series we all loved --  and argued about, endlessly. 

We got a copy of the DVD here at doorQ.com. CAPRICA is a fascinating, interesting, eerily-akin-to-our-world setting, with lots of situations and themes evocative of our lives today.  I won't spoil much beyond that, and besides, I think by now you know the story drill for the new series.

One thing though: It's hard to tell how the series is going to go just based on this pilot. I will say that when you get done watching, you will want to see what happens next, where the characters go and what plays out. That's going to be a while, though. The series hasn't started filming yet.  We won't get know how all of the situations and settings of the pilot will play out until 2010.

Oh, and there's a bit of bare boobs and lesbian sex in the DVD. In my, admittedly jaded, mind this was more for fan-boy reach than any real interest in telling stories involving queer-folk on that ancient world. Jane Espensen, head writer for the CAPRICA series, has promised we'll get real gay characters as time goes on. 

“We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur,” says Del Toro.

“We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie,” adds Jackson. “The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the [LOTR] trilogy.”

Since we'd heard that STARGATE: UNIVERSE was getting two gay characters, and since I figured one would be gay, one would be a lesbian, and neither would have recurring love interests on the series, news has slipped out that series regular Ming-Na's Camille Ray is getting a female lover in an upcoming episode.

Spoiler TV says the lover will be "...[SHARON] 35 years old, Camille Wray's (Ming-Na's.) long term partner. Sensitive, soulful. Strong emotional scenes. Possibly recurring. GUEST LEAD. Please submit all ethnicities. NAMES ONLY."

Well, thankfully, at least Ming-Na's character will be there for a while on the series and won't be a one off character. It remains to be seen who the gay male character is and what his role is going to be on the show.

I remain encouraged -- but skeptical. Are they going make these characters as real as all the rest on the show, or are we going to get another KROD MANGDOON stereotype? We'll know later this year.

Spoiler TV: Stargate Universe - Casting Call

Thomas Dekker, late of the No It's Not Really Dead Yet TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES has signed on to the forthcoming A NIGHTMARE ON ELMSTREET reboot. He'll play Jesse, a swim-team jock who runs afoul of Jackie Earle Haley's Freddy Krueger. 

Lead for the new movie is Kyle Gallner. He'll be playing the Johnny Depp part from the original film. Gallner has cropped up all over TV, most notably as The Flash / Impulse on SMALLVILLE.

Source:  Young John Connor To Take On Freddy Krueger? - Screen Rant

Apparently, it's not adamantium that makes Wolverine's bones unbreakable, but milk.  

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE opens May 1st.

Source:  Got Wolverine? Hugh Jackman joins milk moustache campaign | SCI FI Wire

So I called Stan Lee up and gushed.

Earlier, I'd been talking with Perry Moore about HERO, the fateful decision on the show's future currently happening at Showtime, and walking Ben Barnes down Seasame Street, when Moore suggested I give Stan Lee a call about HERO.

I can do that?

"Sure," Perry said. He clicked through his extensive list of numbers -- and given how long he clicked, it's a big list -- then called out the digits. And I dialed.....

So, Stan Lee. I tried hard not to gush, to not tell him that he was one of those people that inspired me to write; for Cthulhu sakes, he inspired me to read. "Excelsior" was one of those words I raced to look up because Lee was always using it.

I suppose if I was real journalist -- and not a screenwriter pretending to be one -- I could have maintained the requisite "professional distance" reporters are supposed to have. But I didn't. I just gushed. And gushed more. I then I asked him if he ever gets tired of all that gushing.

"Never," Lee said. "I don't understand when celebrities say that they don't like it when people gush. It's a honor to be gushed over. More gushing. Gushing is good."

Right. Onto the matter at hand: HERO.

I told him I was there at Comic-Con when he and Perry Moore announced their partnership to bring HERO to the screen. "I remember you," he said. "You had shirt, pants and badge on, right?"

What attracted him to the book, to the effort of trying to create a TV series about a gay, teen superhero? What made him get behind the story?

"It's hard to find a new fresh and exciting take on a hero," Lee continued "Perry created something great with the novel, something I think audiences, gay or straight, are hungry to see."

Lee knows heroes, being either the direct or co-creator of numerous legends, from Spider-Man to The Fantastic Four.

"Forget the sex and sexuality of HERO for a moment," he said. "This is a good story. It's about a world very much like our own, with many of the same problems and situations, and then about a young, tortured but ultimately triumphant person taking their rightful place in that world. That's a hero."

I gushed again.

He, too, was happy and excited that Showtime was considering the series. But I don't think he was on pins and needles as Perry Moore currently is. I don't think anything phases Stan Lee.  He just stays perky and, well, cool.

Since I had him -- and, damn if I wasn't going to get another few minutes of his time - I asked him what else he and P.O.W. Entertainment, the company he launched in 2001 after his previous effort, Stan Lee Media, went into bankruptcy, were producing.

"So many things! We're so busy with movies and TV and related projects," he said.

What are they?

"I can't tell you!"

I swear the exclamation mark appeared in the air above me.

"Really, I'd love to tell you about everything," he continued. "It's all great stuff. I've just gotten in trouble in the past talking about things before I should have. If you give my partner Gil Champion a call back in the afternoon, he'll give you a run-down on the safe things."

Champion's office called a little later to let me know just what all those "safe things" were: an "Eco"-themed super hero,  an Indian themed hero,  as well as two other unnamed projects at Disney. They're also finishing up a kids version of Who Wants To Be A Super Hero for the BBC.

I thanked Lee for his time and gushed a little bit more. I also told him how much he reminded me of Kerry O'Quinn, another Gothamite and legend in The Geek Circles.  "Thank you. I always loved STARLOG magazine. Oh, and thank you for your, and the fan, support for HERO."

Gush.

The POW Entertainment corporate site is available at http://www.powentertainment.com/. They're currently at work revising the space and should re-launch on the site shortly.

In the meantime, people can keep up with Stan Lee at http://www.myspace.com/stanleemyspace

Perry Moore is on pins and needles.

The author of HERO and producer of the Chronicles of Narnia, is eagerly awaiting word on whether HERO, his gay teen super hero story that's won raves and awards, is going to get the greenlight from Showtime to go to pilot and series.

At his invitation, I gave him a call to find out a little bit about the pending details of HERO, his hope for the series, and what we, as fans, can do to help get it on the air.

“This is the story I really want to tell for the next three, four or five years,” he said, his excitement leaping out of the iPhone.  “If we get this to go, this will open eyes, touch hearts and reach everyone – gay people and straight people alike.”

Perry told me that HERO is one of three scripts currently being decided on by [Bob Greenblatt at Showtime.  “Stan Lee and I pitched them and HBO, almost back to back, on a Friday. They both turned right around called on a Saturday, expressing interest in developing the series further. They were that interested.”

So why Showtime, I asked? “They were both excellent networks,” Moore replied. “For a variety of reasons, we took a leap with Showtime. They’re a daring and pioneering network – they did the American version of QUEER AS FOLK, after all.  In the end, they seemed like the best fit to develop a HERO series with.”

Now usually, at this point, writers discuss the problems they had in developing a concept into a series. Development executives – the people tasked with shaping scripts to make sure they fit the vision of what a network wants – have a reputation of ruining work. Not so here.

“I couldn’t have been more pleased with the notes and feedback we got from them,” Perry said. “They were very enthusiastic; they wanted the story to succeed and to work over the multiple weeks required for a TV series. They really helped to make sure the mysteries of the story unfolded over time, the characters developed, and that the audience would feel what the characters’ felt. In the end, the pilot script turned out great. I’m really proud of it.”

I told him about fans being very interested in getting this show on the air, about how I’d heard from folks the pilot decision would happen this week or next, and how many fans had approached me on spreading the word.

“I’ve been amazed at the surge of support the idea of a HERO TV series has gotten,” Moore said. “Like me, people all over the place are sitting on pins and needles. I know people have been sending letters and calling the marketing department about seeing the show on the air. I’m touched by all of that.”

If we do get lucky, and the show hits the air, what is casting going to be like? People have their idea for who should play the various roles. I asked Perry who he had in mind for the various parts.

“For Thom’s dad? Dennis Quaid*…or Mel Gibson,” he said.

That last one caught me.

“I think he’s got that history -- a hero and then a public fall -- just like Thom’s dad. Dennis Hopper would also be great. He has that look about him.” I noted those are really archetypal males. “Ever since a kid, I’ve always had crushes on those rugged guy types,” Perry said with a laugh.

But what about Thom? The teen hero who comes into his own by accepting his sexuality and his super-powers in order to save the world? Who should play him?

“It has to be a fearless actor, known or unknown, for that role,” he said. “Thom is the kind of character that would really show off an actor’s acting abilities.  A gay or bisexual actor would be great, but really, given what the role requires, regardless of orientation, it just has to be someone who is, well, a hero, too.”

Since I had him on the line, and since many of my friends would kill me if I didn’t, I had to ask him about the status of the latest Narnia movie, VOYAGE OF THE DAWNTREADER, production of which was unceremoniously dumped by Disney late last year. Walden and Fox teamed up to produce it. So when does it go?

“Fox and Walden gave us a start date in July, so we’ll be headed down to Australia to get that film going. You’ll be seeing Ben Barnes at the bow of Dawn Treader in no time.”

Be still my heart.

“Did you know I taught those kids to surf,” Moore offered. “William [Mosley, who played Peter] alread knew, but  Hunter [Moore’s lover] and I taught the rest. Georgie [Henley, who plays Lucie] got right in there with the rest of them and did a great job.”

That made me remark that he sounded very close to all of the actors. “I am. I feel like their godfather. Ben [Barnes, who played Caspian]* came over and stayed with us here in New York.  He joked that I lived on Seasme Street. It does feel like that.”

He was very touched by the “kids”  -- as he calls them --  when, after an uncle he was very close to died,  they gave him a shirt that read “Perry Poppins.” It expressed how close they felt to him.

I thanked Perry for his time, thanked him for his HERO and mentioned I’d do what we could here at doorQ.com to get people to call, email or send letters to Showtime and their marketing people about how much they’d love to see HERO on the screen. He thanked me and I started to click off when he said:

“Wait! You have to call Stan.”

Stan Lee?

“Yes, give him a call about the series. He’s so passionate about it, too.”

Okay, but I’m not sure I can keep my composure talking to him. He’s pretty much the definition of cool.

“He’s also been so wonderful in getting this project as far as it has. He’s got the energy of a man 30, 40 years younger than he is. Call him.”

So I did.

Tomorrow: I talk to Comics God Stan Lee

If you want to express your support for the series, write or give them a call at

212-708-1600

So are you one of those die-hard fans, first to see blockbuster movies, counting down to a 12:01 AM May 8th showtime, willing to stumble into work bleary-eyed the next day just to say you experienced the most anticipated STAR TREK film in years?  Well I'm not.

I'm even more die-hard. I'm going to see it still earlier....4 hours earlier.

Word broke today that Paramount is opening STAR TREK at 7PM on May 7th, getting a jump on the weekend and allowing for even more people to see what is shaping up to be a hotly anticipated movie. 

Yes! No bleary-eyed Friday! Just TREK fabulousness at a decent hour.

Cthulhu, I'm getting old.

I saw the releases of all prior STAR TREKs at 12:01 AM. I saw the re-issues of STAR WARS at 12:01 AM. Lined up early, too.  *sigh* 

Now where did I put my walker?

Source:  Star Trek Coming Earlier on May 7th - ComingSoon.net

I got an email from one of the many fans (and close friends) of Perry Moore, author of HERO, the gay-teen- turned-super-hero novel that's pretty excellent.

Moore recently teamed up with comics god Stan Lee to bring the novel to life as a live action tv series -- a story we first mentioned last year, from Comic-Con.

Turns out it's Zero Hour, with a decision pending on the series. It's sitting on the desk on the Big Wigs at Showtime, and the verdict could go either way.

Which is where the email, and you, come in. 

Hello! Please excuse typos. This is an urgent message to all HERO fans. The book is now in the process of being examined for green light; a pilot script has been turned in to Showtime and the big-wigs need some encouragement.  

Check the online site for Showtime, or their office listing in Los Angeles, and let them know your interest. Emails and snail mail are both fine.  The two men to write to are Bob Greenblatt, CEO of Showtime, and to Gary Levine, their President of Production.

And not to add any pressure, but it must be done FAST, as they're making their decisions this and next week.  Hearing from the fans could be just the gentle encouragement they need!!!!

so what you guys say, huh?

can we do it?

i say yes.

thank you for your time

I say yes, too.

So do you want to try to bring some true doorQ-iness to the TV? Then take a shot at contacting Showtime and letting them know how interested you are in seeing HERO on the screen.

Write or give them a call at

Showtime Networks

1633 Broadway

New York, NY 10019

212-708-1600

I'll see if I can round up some emails for you. 

So this isn't directly doorQy, but it is from the land of the unexpected, surprising, touching and, well, magical.

No, I don't mean England. 

I think it will put a smile on your face. We all dream of these moments. Some of us get them, some of us only get to see them.

Either way, they're wonderful.

This is an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error for a company that prides itself on offering complete selection.

It has been misreported that the issue was limited to Gay & Lesbian themed titles – in fact, it impacted 57,310 books in a number of broad categories such as Health, Mind & Body, Reproductive & Sexual Medicine, and Erotica. This problem impacted books not just in the United States but globally. It affected not just sales rank but also had the effect of removing the books from Amazon's main product search.

Many books have now been fixed and we're in the process of fixing the remainder as quickly as possible, and we intend to implement new measures to make this kind of accident less likely to occur in the future.

I'm still not saying there was anything intentionally malicious about this -- though the fact that this originated back to February could change my mind -- but it does seem like someone isn't going to have a good Performance Review Meeting when this is all said and done.

See also: NEWS: Amazon Censors GLBT Book Rankings UPDATED 

Source: First Official Image Of Michael Myers In Halloween 2 - Screen Rant

In consideration of our entire customer base, we exclude "adult" material from appearing in some searches and best seller lists. Since these lists are generated using sales ranks, adult materials must also be excluded from that feature. 

On the face of it, this doesn't appear to be true. Books like Berman's Vintage and other queer novels such as E.M. Forster's Maurice and Edmund White's The Beautiful Room is Empty, classics of gay fiction and far, far, from explicit, erotic works, have also been affected. Indeed, it fells much more like most any GLBT was summarily delisted with a few keystrokes.  

Amazon has since back peddled, stating that a "glitch" in their software is responsible for the removal of the sales rankings and is in the process of being "fixed." At the time of this writing, sales rankings still have not been returned to the GLBT books mentioned. 

Sales ranks help authors sell books. As e-publishers of new, gay, genre writers, and as a site with many, many gay writers and publishers looking to increase exposure to their work, I'm really pissed about this. Sure, I doubt it's some major conspiracy but it is a cluster-frak of a major order. I hope a head or two roll for this.

UPDATE: Apparently, this isn't some kind of "weekend" technoglitch. It's been brewing since, at least, February, when the first postings this  one at CRAIG'S POP LIFE first appeared:

Of course, I immediately sent emails to Amazon asking about this situation. I also placed several phone calls. But I could never get a straight answer, until February 25, when I received an email stating that "the sales rank was not displayed for the following reasons: The ISBN #1416542051 was classified as an Adult product."  

One of the biggest open secrets in the USA, Area 51 / Groom Lake facility has long been a staple of SF lore. In both fiction and the "reality" popularized by UFO conspiracy theorists  Area 51 is the location where all of the crashed UFOs, alien bodies and other, more exotic, particulars are housed.

All of the fantastic fiction grows out of the high level of security that surrounds the actual facility. As the testing ground and launch point the latest high tech gadgets in use by the US military and the various intelligence agencies like the CIA,  very little of its actual history and operations have ever been committed to the public record.

That is until just recently, when a group of retired, elderly former employees spoke with the Los Angeles Times about their roles and activities at the facility. 

Here's an excerpt:

The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there. Well, now, for the first time, someone is ready to talk—in fact, five men are, and their stories rival the most outrageous of rumors. Colonel Hugh "Slip" Slater, 87, was commander of the Area 51 base in the 1960s. Edward Lovick, 90, featured in "What Plane?" in LA's March issue, spent three decades radar testing some of the world's most famous aircraft (including the U-2, the A-12 OXCART and the F-117). Kenneth Collins, 80, a CIA experimental test pilot, was given the silver star. Thornton "T.D." Barnes, 72, was an Area 51 special-projects engineer. And Harry Martin, 77, was one of the men in charge of the base's half-million-gallon monthly supply of spy-plane fuels. Here are a few of their best stories—for the record:

What follows are some really awesome stories about crashed spy planes, secret fuel programs, daring test pilots, and actual operational incidents that morphed and mutated through the imagination of our popular culture into stories about flying saucers, alien tech and advanced, cavernous underground facilities. It's a great series of interviews that help tease out truth from fact. It goes along way to help us keep our fiction, fictional.

Unless of course this is what The Powers That Be want. This could just be more disinformation, efforts to keep us away from the dark truths and terrifying realities that really exist at Area 51 --- stuff we just can't know about.

Okay, now I'm scared.

Source: The Road to Area 51 - Los Angeles Times

Check out the trailer for FIRST WORLD in doorQ's theater.

The short itself is available at IMDB.

"...From the blazing redundancy in its title to sundry jokes about bestiality, "Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire" clearly needn't worry about sailing over anyone's head. Rather, most of this medieval spoof hits below the belt, and when the narrator speaks, there's no doubt somebody will quizzically ask about the source of that unseen voice. Still, it's a relatively handsome production for Comedy Central (billed as its first "fantasy-comedy") that -- given the slimness of its ambitions -- will probably play better as a weekly half-hour than in this double-sized premiere."

One of the more.... interesting... elements is the character of "Bruce" (played by Marques Ray) the "...The jailhouse lover of Krod's late mentor, General Arcadius, and the newest member of the team" and "...simply fabulous."

 

Yup, doorQs, he's gay.  

 

While it remains to be seen how he's characterized, I'm not holding out much hope for anything more than a soft-sell-stereotype. Especially when you consider the villain of the piece, played by openly gay Matt Lucas, of LITTLE BRITAIN fame, is named Chancellor Dongalaor.

Dongalor.

 

*sigh* 

Moving on. Maybe it's funny. Maybe it's great satire. Maybe there's something to this. Maybe not.

 

Probably not. 

Ain't It Cool News has a roundup from around the web if, as they say in STARSHIP TROOPERS, "...you'd like to know more."

Warning. Here be spoilers.

William Bell has a face. It's the same as Leonard Nimoy.

The mysterious founder of FRINGE's Massive Dynamics Corporation has long been a mystery on the show. Bell is the former lab partner of the muddled-maybe-mad Walter Bishop, the expert on all thing fringey. His face has never before been seen. Now we know that JJ Abrams has been working hard, behind the scenes, to bring Nimoy on-board the show.

Trekweb reports:  

Leonard Nimoy is headed to another JJ Abrams production, this time on the small screen. EW is reporting that Nimoy will appear as what could be a recurring character on Fringe, the genre show created and produced by the same team who are bringing us the new Star Trek movie. This is big news for fans of Fringe and of Star Trek, and huge news for fans of both.

FRINGE is a fun, 21st century take on THE X-FILES, yet still new and original enough to stand on its own. The show is back with a new batch of episodes, picking up and deepening the mystery of the show. Nimoy, who is expected to show up on the Season Finale in May, is going to bring an extra creepy note to the proceedings.

Source: Leonard Nimoy To Appear On JJ Abrams ‘Fringe’ TV Series + Fringe News Update | TrekMovie.com

As the new film creeps closer, new clips from STAR TREK have started to pop up on the web. As we mentioned yesterday, the early reviews are coming in fast and strong; Paramount may have a hit on its hands and we might have a new take on the franchise to love.

Part of what's making me think that, yes, those reviews are right, are examples like this clip, embedded below. Don't click if you are footage averse, though there's nothing particularly spoiler-y in the film below.

You do though see how Chris Pine is playing Kirk -- and how Zoe Saldana is giving the depth to Uhura she was never given outside of our imaginations (okay, and a few books.)

AICN has one of the first, comprehensive, enthusiastic and down-right legal reviews of the new STAR TREK movie.

Fans gathered at the Alamo Cinema and Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, expecting to see a digitally remastered print of STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN. Sure, 10 minutes of new TREK footage would be introduced by Orci and Kurtzman, but then everyone has been seeing those same 10 minutes for the last six months, a dog-and-pony show by Paramount to convince the faithful that JJ Abrams didn't frak the franchise up.

Only this time, the audience got to see the other 90 minutes of Abrams' film. 

In short, the verdict, with this spoiler free excerpt from Quint's review:

Other than a few conveniences, I think Abrams pulled it off. STAR TREK isn’t just a successful reboot, but a genuinely fun and exciting science fiction action adventure. My biggest complaint is that it feels like they just got started up when the film ended. I want more! I want to see the further adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise.

There is, of course, a great deal more details in the review posted to AICN. Since the official premiere was Monday night in Australia, other reviews will be bouncing around the web shortly. So far, though, so good.  All those JJ Abrams voodoo dolls you bought you might just not have to use.

Source: Quint has seen JJ Abrams' STAR TREK! -- Ain't It Cool News

Are gay characters finally coming to the STARGATE:UNIVERSE universe? Brian Juergens is reporting that gay characters are confirmed for the new series, though their identity, for the moment, is secret. 

Brian notes that Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, the creators of the latest STARGATE franchise revealed the news the recent STARGATE convention, indicating that they want the new series to portray the diversity and complexity of human society.

It seems that the creatives behind the series are really trying to set a new and different tone for the show, making it "more real," though still as fun as previous series. Call it the BSG Effect -- we're now living in a post BATTLESTAR World.

Putting gays on STARGATE seems to be an on-going mission for the producers. Joseph Mallozzi, the EP on ATLANTIS, wrote about their efforts to make one or more characters on that show gay, but they were never quite able to swing it -- though I am still picturing that romantic dinner between Sheppard and Dex.

Since the gay characters are remain unknown, and since we're still a few months away from the SG:U premiere, pin this story to your mental watch-list.  Definitely, though, this is something we'll be following up on in the weeks ahead.

From Unzipped (NSFW) by way of  FAIL Blog.

A look at some of the flawed thinking that prompts people who believe in certain non-scientific concepts to advise others who don't to be more open-minded.

Source: YouTube - Open-mindedness

h/t:  Pharyngula

I had a meeting with [casting director] Pam Dixon and [executive producer] Donald De Line, but a meeting was all it was," Pine told MTV News. "I have not been offered squat. I do not have the part and haven't read a script."

I can't be the only gay fan of Fantasy films who clicked on the RSS link to SciFi Scanner's  "The Top Ten Evil Queens of Fantasy" and thought they'd find....

....a totally different kind of list of Evil Queens.

(That does kinda look like J.A. Steel though...) 

Time Warner and Bright House have dropped FEARnet from your cable line-up.  They have eliminated your on-demand access to horror, thriller and suspense movies 24/7.  If you want to once again see FEARnet on your cable system, your cable operator needs to hear from you.  Call 1-877-FEAR-247, we'll connect you with your cable operator and you can let them know you want FEARnet (And be aware that for some customers, FEARnet is available on AT&T U-Verse and Verizon Fios). We hope you will be able to enjoy the premiere on-demand destination for horror, thriller and suspense films, uncut and unedited, including the following titles coming soon.  

The new STARGATE: UNIVERSE series is adding another recurring guest star -- the silver haired hotness of Richard Dean Anderson. He is set to make several appearances on the new show, reprising his role as intrepid, unflappable and, well, awesome General Jack O'Neil.

Gateworld news reports:

“Rick is doing episodes of Universe,” series co-creator Brad Wright told GateWorld exclusively today. “He was just here yesterday shooting an episode of Universe with us. So that relationship is always on-going, and it’s good to have him back.” 

The show’s fifth episode, “Earth,” is currently filming, and is likely one in which Anderson will appear. But will he help kick off the show by also appearing in the first episode, as he and Michael Shanks (“Daniel Jackson”) did with Atlantis? 

Later the same day (today), former Stargate SG-1 co-star Gary Jones (“Walter Harriman”) appeared on stage at Creation Entertainment’s official Stargate convention in Vancouver, and told fans that he is appearing in an episode of SGU with Anderson. He noted that General O’Neill will have been promoted to 3-star general for the episode they filmed together. 

Jones didn’t specify which episode it was, but he also noted that he (Jones) was asked to appear in the SGU premiere, “Air.” So, if you’re keeping score at home, Jones should appear in “Air” and Anderson is likely for “Earth” — while Anderson is possible for “Air” and/or Jones is possible for “Earth.”

SG, in all its forms, has always been one of my favorite cotton-candy SF shows. Fun and funny, it's was never too deep but never too shallow. I used to love Sci Fi Friday's, the year or two when Sy Fy Channel (Cthulhu, I have to get used to writing that) back-to-backed it with BSG.  

The new series is ostensibily darker than any of the previous series. Still not sure how that's going to play out. I'm fairly certain though that if Jack O'Neil is showing up it's not going to be that much different than the original series.

Source: GateWorld » Richard Dean Anderson will be on Stargate Universe

UPDATE:  The Iowa Supreme Court has struck down laws prohibiting gay marriage as unconstitutional. No more Iowa jokes for me.

This is getting to be a trend. Now all it has to do is survive a veto threat from the Governor and civilization will advance just a little bit more.

From the The Burlington Free Press:

MONTPELIER — The Vermont House voted 95-52 on Thursday night to allow same-sex couples to marry in Vermont.

Molly Jesse of Essex came to the Statehouse with friends to show her opposition to the bill. “It takes away from the sanctity of the marriage vow,” she said. “I can’t sit around and watch our marriage fall into this abyss.” 

Source: BREAKING: House approves same-sex marriage bill | burlingtonfreepress.com | The Burlington Free Press

The production team behind K9, the new children's TV series based on the popular DOCTOR WHO companion, have released a trailer for the new series to YouTube. Premiering state-side later this year, the K9 series is a sci-fi/adventure series combining comedy, action and suspense. It's touted as being X-FILES meets MEN IN BLACK with a zany dash of  GHOSTBUSTERS thrown in.

The trailer below is for sales purposes. It shows the general flavor of the series, as well as what we can possibly expect when the stories play out. It looks very WHO / SARAH JANE ADVENTURES-ish; that same level of good production values mixed with what can be best described, if not a bit cliched, as camp.

As a fan of the original from the Tom Baker era of DOCTOR WHO, the one thing that really surprised me? K9 can fly! Take that, Daleks! 

And if you'd like to see just how far technology's come, take a look at K9 from the 1970s: