Posted on 07/27/2006 6:49:43 PM PDT by marc costanzo
The essay below was originally written in the early Spring of 2001:
With the passing away of LEXX ends an intriguing albeit tawdry experiment in Sci-fantasy. One that breaks with conventions, or should I say cliches of TV sci-fi of the 90's . The politically correct pabulum, the multicultural indoctrination, the BladeRunner motifs, and not the least; the steroid mutated superbabes that can punch the lights out of men, but never get punched back in return !?
How about creating a new sci-fi anthology with none of the puerile baggage of Rod Serling, Rockne Obannon, Michael J. Stracinsky, etc .. It is time to end their reign of un-American cynicism and fatalism !
>>Do you know how much of our "TV" is made in Canada?<<
All in all, if you include American TV series(and TV movies) filmed in Canada as well as Canadian produced TV series sent down here to the U.S., , , , I would say less than 10%
I have seen one estimate that states as low as 2% !
Ever read the Arthur C. Clark short story titled The Star?
That was one interesting version of the future - and one into which the Muslims would fit (albeit in a classic Trek Klingon-ish sort of way, minus the code of honor stuff).
and the continuity of a phonograph in an earthquake.
They have more dropped story lines and sloooooooooooooooooow character development than any special effects could cover.
Yeah, they were paying him $100K/week, and you got 25 or more chances to get the scene "right".
He and his wife killed off Mission Impossible then moved to Space 1999. I agree, he (and his spouse) were terrible. I always wondered how he got where he was.
I spent a long, drunken, weekend with Pournelle and Niven at the first Con I ever attended. I discovered the "con suite" and found out that was where the guest hung out and that was where the free booze was. Nice work if you can get it.
They talked a bit about Lucifer's Hammer and Footfall, but were more intersted in talking about the more recent stuff that they had done. Jerry I already knew from the computer world and we had participated together on several events such as Comdex and the old PC Expo in NY. We actually went back to 1977 and the first West Coast Computer Faire, where the first complete PC was made available for sale. I had to remind him of that meeting, but he did remember me. Niven was kind enough to go back and discuss the Protector story, some 20 years before our meeting (it's where my mispelled screen name comes from) and actually made nice noises about my "solution" to his "scientific mistakes" in that book. I have no idea if he'd even remember that conversation (I barely do, he was making Irish Whiskey's that evening) but I have fond memories of it.
I would love to have the opportunity to be involved in turning both Footfall and Lucifer's Hammer into films. They would probably work best as "long form" series on something like Showtime, HBO or Sci Fi. Wouldn't that be fun, if done correctly?
Oh, yesss! And with today's CGI we could have baby elephants wearing platform shoes decending on kites.
Let's do it; I'll volunteer to edit the business proposal.
Lucifer's Hammer has been done many times, usually horribly, but the type of alien invasion of Footfall is new. We would not need to have men i rubber suits lusting after our buxom Earthgirls, we could get into the nature of conflict and some nice comparative religion.
To be sure, the first season started out good - realism,
intense situations - no kids, no transporters, no phasers . .
After that came in the messages, the endless conspiricy plots, the PC innuendo - - and riots !
TV Science Fiction is always reliving the 1960's
>>together on several events such as Comdex and the old PC Expo in NY. We actually went back to 1977 and the first West Coast Computer Faire, where the first complete PC was made available for sale. I<<
In 1977 the term Personal Computer, had not been invented .
You are talking about the Apple II !
The IBM PC came out in 1981 . .
Before that, the term, MicroComputer or HomeComputer was most often used !
If you say so !
But he still participated in very left-wing and fatalistic material (Bab5)
>>He and his wife killed off Mission Impossible then moved to Space 1999. I agree, he (and his spouse) were terrible. I always wondered how he got where he was.
<<
Yes, he was a terrible actor in the 1970's !
But by 1990 he got better(Tucker: Man and His Dream & ED WOOD)
We would not need to have men i rubber suits lusting after our buxom Earthgirls,<<
Hey, I like that kind of entertainment .
ROBOTMONSTER is one of my fav's !
Dear Mr. Costanzo:
Consider decaf.
Cordially,
B-Chan
Stargate got lost in that morass too but seemed to get the PC=low ratings message.
It is too bad there is no PC-o-meter viewer response (similar to the real time opinions during presidential debates) so the hacks who slip in the PC feldercarb can understand WHY people don't wath their writting.
(see star trek voyagers need of a rescue character)
HOPEFULLY next season will be better and LESS pc.
And I, personally, couldn't get beyond the overt leftism of B5 to watch it with any regularity.
>>Consider decaf.
Cordially, <<
Dear B-Chan,
I never drink coffee at all !
>>I was just paraphrasing Jerry from the time he filled in for Laura Ingraham a year or so ago. He said
the if someone wanted to pay you under those conditions, take the money.
And I, personally, couldn't get beyond the overt leftism of B5 to watch it with any regularity.
<<
OKAY !
That I can accept !
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