Fri, 21 September 2012
![]() SciFi Diner Podcast Ep. 151Our Interview with Maurice Broaddusand Jerry Gordon editors of the Dark Faith AnthologiesThe SciFi Diner PodcastA 2012 Parsec FinalistPlease call the listener line at 1.888.508.4343, Email us at scifidinerpodcast@gmail.com or visit us on Twitter @scifidiner. And check out our YouTube channel. Tonight’s Diners: Scott & Miles Welcome to the Diner. If you have listened to the show for sometime, we would love to have you leave feedback on iTunes. We know not all of you use iTunes, but for those that do, it helps us become more visible. If you don’t use iTunes, your feedback is still valuable. Visit our webpage at http://scifidinerpodcast.com and leave a comment on the show notes or email us at scifidinerpodcast@gmail.com We want to know what you are thinking about what we are saying and what shows you are watching. Menu:
New Trivia:Trivia: Since no one, and I mean NO ONE was able to answer last months trivia, we're trying a different tactic to give away an autographed picture of Kate Mulgrew, Captain Janeway of Star Trek: Voyager. All you need to do is write in and explain why you are the biggest fan of Kate Mulgrew. Please include your address and the code word mentioned in the first 15 minutes of the show. We'll be drawing a name the middle of October. Prize: An Autographed copy of Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway) You will have until October 15th to send us your answers. Please include the code word mentioned in the first 15 minutes of the show. Send your answer with your mailing address to scifidinerpodcast@gmail.com, call us at 18885084343, or DM us on Twitter at @scifidiner. Make sure you include your e-mail with all entries! Only one entry per person. The SciFi Diner is not responsible for any injuries occurring if you secretly decide to go all shiny and dress in a browncoat and walk into your local bar. PromosFringecasting with Wayne and Dan PromoSubversion Promo from John Mierau Interview:Maurice Broaddus“’Buyer beware’ is the cautionary theme of Maurice Broaddus’ sublime ‘A House is Not a Home’ – the standout of the collection… Broaddus’ commanding use of language coats the story with a lushness that belies its short fiction format and places it in a class of its own.” “There are fewer greater pleasures in a reader’s life than witnessing a writer whose work they have enjoyed reached a new plateau in their storytelling skills, and such is the case here; with The Devil’s Marionette, Maurice Broaddus comes into his own as a writer of dark fiction. It is the brilliance we’ve all been waiting for, and Broaddus delivers in a voice that both whispers and roars and cannot be ignored.” The Knights of Breton Court series
His areas of interests includes religious studies, folklore, and myths. His previous book was the novella Orgy of Souls, written with Wrath James White. He says he only wants to get famous enough to be able to snub people at horror conventions. When asked, “what kind of horror writer are you?”, Maurice said… There are kinds of horror: atmospheric, supernatural, serial killer, splatter/”gross out” and other ways I could categorize it. But I tend to think that horror writers fall into two very general camps: traditionalists and extremists (for lack of better terms). It is the tools you use to scare that define what camp you find yourself in. Traditionalists tend to be more character driven, letting the horror arise from or intrude on the mundane. They are often more atmospheric, and explore the eerie or weird with a moral code. Oh yeah, traditionalists are good vs. evil moralists. Extremists are more visceral. Quicker to go for the blood and guts/gross out or the perverse. I’m actually disturbed by how much value-loaded (read: judgmental sounding) language I’m using, but it’s the easiest way I know to describe it. I’m more of a traditionalist, which is not to say 1) that I don’t occasionally enjoy a good extremist or 2) that traditionalists or extremists exclusively write with only that set of tools. It’s a pallette: You have a broad spectrum of colors and styles to choose from to create your painting. And sometimes it’s like your taste in music: most times I listen to 70′s R&B, but sometimes I need a little Rage Against the Machine or Dream Theater to get me going. Most times I naturally gravitate toward the traditionalist stuff – Ray Bradbury, Stephen King – but sometimes I need a shot of Clive Barker or John Shirley to shock the palate. Meet Maurice online More Praise for King Maker “KingMaker isn’t yet another retelling of the Arthurian stories. There are drugs and gangs and people who are almost too scared to breathe. If there’s a small world that needs saving, it’s the world of this novel: too many lives are in danger and too many people are willing to give up. What’s awesome is there is no guarantee that King is going to become the Arthur we know. His enemies understand where he comes from and what he can do before he does. ” Jerry GordonJerry Gordon: This is the spot where I’m supposed to talk about myself in the third person. It’s a strange but generally accepted way of doing things, fine for book jackets and magazine bios, but a little impersonal since you’ve come all this way to find out more about me.
The most common question I get asked (when people find out I write fiction) is what kind. Truth is all kinds. I love just about every genre and hate labels. I tend to blur the lines between genres, writing mash-ups that combine the best of several. If you want to pin me down, I’ll admit to writing mysteries, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and “literary” fiction. Usually, at least two at the same time. If you’d like to check out my work, head over to the bibliography page. Thanks for dropping in and don’t be shy about sending me a note via the contact page. Jerry Some fun facts…
TV News:Observers Continue to Boss Us in New FRINGE Featurette – Residency Protocol Remember the early days of Fringe when we thought that the Observers were a curiosity but were basically benign or, at worst, maybe interlopers for good? Ah those halcyon days. Now we know that only one of them was like that, and the rest, at least in the season that is to come, are not. Below we have the third of Protocols that have been issued by the Fedora-ed Ones. We’ve included the previous two for your ease of reference (and protection from scans). Featurette: Fringe Season 5 – Residency Protocol Elfstones of Shannara to be made into a television show. Good news or Bad? Nielsen RatingsNEW YORK -- The number of U.S. homes that don't get traditional television service continues to increase, but that doesn't mean they don't have TVs. Movie News:1st look at a startlingly different suit for that RoboCop reboot We've had a look at the handiwork of OmniCorp, we've read the official synopsis, and now it's time to get a look at the cybernetic crimefighter himself. On-set pics have just revealed what Joel Kinnaman's RoboCop reboot suit looks like, and it's definitely a departure. It's definitely not what Peter Weller wore. The silver exterior with black accents at the joints has been replaced by an all-black theme that looks a bit like Christian Bale's Batsuit. And the bulky, muscled look has been replaced by something much leaner. Also, he seems to have saved one hand from robotic reinvention. Unless there's some kind of massive CGI overhaul coming in post-production, this is a very different RoboCop. Of course, we've yet to really see this new suit in action, and this could just be a part of what director Jose Padilha is delivering us, but it seems clear that there's a very different look in store this time around. What do you think? Is the new RoboCop look a refreshing, modern take, or just a remake dud? This week in Star Trek:Space, The Final Frontier... 46 Years Of Star Trek 46 years ago today, Star Trek launched its 5 year mission. Unfortunately it only lasted 3 in its original form, but Trek as we now know it consists of over 700 hours of television and movies. It seems that this year Star Trek is getting more press than usual on its anniversary. Google, Oreo, and websites the world over are celebrating the launch of Trek. Some even proclaiming today as Star Trek day. Of course, we're not complaining. Where would we be without Star Trek? I've often wondered that, but really the world would be a much different place if Gene hadn't been offered a second pilot or Lucille Ball and Desilu had passed on the show. Could there have been a different show that took its place and inspired millions of people to boldly go on the human adventure? Who can say. I'm just thankful that Gene got the chance to express his ideas through a medium that was available to so many viewers worldwide. On this anniversary, I'll leave you with one of my favorite videos of Gene... For us, no limits. Happy Star Trek Day! Life After Trek Podcast Episode 20 Featuring Michael DeMeritt By Captain Pyke We’re pleased to announce episode 20 of our “Life After Trek” podcast, featuring Michael DeMeritt. Many of you know Michael from his time on the full run of both Star Trek: Voyager & Star Trek: Enterprise as First / Second Assistant Director. He also worked, most recently, on hit shows like ABC Family's Make It or Break It, Showtime's Californication, NBC's Las Vegas, and many others. We met him at BayouCon 2012 in Lake Charles, Louisiana and got the chance to experience his inside Star Trek panels featuring many never-before-seen photos & stories. We knew, then and there, that he would be an excellent guest on "Life After Trek". We ran the full gamut of Mike's Trek experience, on this episode, but also got to talk about his start in Hollywood and his early years as a DGA trainee. For those "Life After Trek"-ers out there, that love behind-the-scenes info, this is an episode you don't want to miss. If you would like to learn more about Michael and his work, you can check out his official website at MichaelDeMeritt.com and his full list of credits at IMDB.com. Sci Fi 5@5:The Five Most Important TV Shows In Science Fiction By Raul Ybarra
A few weeks ago, I had made some Tweets regarding the most important TV shows in science fiction. This generated a variety of responses that has nudged me into writing a bit more reason behind my selections. Going into this, it's important to note that my criteria here is "most important" rather than "best." I also am not including non-SciFi shows though they often get lumped in together. Thus, you won't see any fantasy, horror, or super-hero shows in the list. Likewise, you will not see shows like Night Gallery, even though they did, at times, dip into science fiction. So here's that list from the least to the most important.
5. Firefly Yes, Firefly was *great* science fiction. Yet it only lasted 13 episodes, so why is it so important. As I said, good does not necessarily equate to importance though this show was both. It's the nature of what happened to the /show/ that makes it so important. It's pretty universal that few shows had as raw a deal as Firefly. The shows of this serial were aired out of order. The "Suits" interfered in the production. It was summarily canceled without really being given a chance. However, it was a critical reminder to both fans and network of the power of the fans' voices. While not enough to save this show, the outcry certainly rattled Fox. Fortunately, Fox seemed to learn its lesson. I believe that it's thanks to Firefly that shows like Dollhouse got a second season, in spite of the terrible ratings or we are getting a fifth season to finish the story in Fringe. Fox, as well as other networks, pay a lot more attention to the fans as a result of Firefly.
4. Battlestar Galactica I'm talking about the original "Classic" show rather than the 2000's reboot. People today may not be aware of it, but introducing phrases like "Frack" or having a main character, Cassiopia, as a "Socialator" (i.e. prostitute) were huge steps in prime-time programming that caused considerable discussion. Equally ground-breaking was the use of cinema-caliber special effects. Largely because of this, the show was also the first show to break the $1,000,000 per episode barrier -- an enormous sum in 1978. The Bridge set was one of the largest regular sets ever for a show and was functional with working electronics, communications and computer displays. It was primarily the very high cost of the show that led to its cancellation after the first season.
Unfortunately, BSG is important in one negative area. This is the show more important than even Lost In Space for the "Cute Kid" problem. After BSG, every serious SciFi show until Babylon 5 was crippled by having to have a "cute kid" for the youngsters. I believe in my heart-of-hearts if we didn't have Boxey here, we would have never been inflicted with Wesley Crusher a decade later.
3. Doctor Who You cannot have a list of important SciFi shows without including the longest running science fiction series of all time. Doctor Who will be celebrating its 50th birthday in 2013 having gone on the air in 1963. It's initial run was for 26 continuous seasons ending in 1986. It wasn't cancelled, but put on hiatus, with a TV movie in the 90's and resuming regular airings in 2005.
Aside from the run time proving the staying power of a science fiction show, the Doctor brought us such iconic items as sonic screwdrivers, K9 and the TARDIS. Dimensional transcendence ("It's bigger on the inside than out."), time travel, parallel universes, racism, women's rights, cyborgs, paradox, nuclear war, ethics - - I've commented many times that there are few science fiction themes that Doctor Who hasn't done first. The show was always serial rather than episodic; sometimes being 4-6 episodes, sometimes being whole seasons. With such a low budget for effects (the subject of MANY jokes) the show had to focus on being story and character driven.
Doctor Who also gave us some of the great villains/enemies in SciFi: Cybermen, Sontarans, the Master and of course Daleks. The resumed series has also added probably the scariest monster of all time: the Weeping Angels. Science fiction television owe a huge debt to this long running and innovative show.
2. Babylon 5 It was a close call between Babylon 5 and the #1 choice. Star Trek won only because that without Trek, we never could have gotten Babylon 5. At some point I will probably write a full blog article on Babylon 5 just to cover all the "Firsts" it represents to not only SciFi TV, but TV in general.
Just to cover a few of these, it was the first successful serial sci-fi series, first fully scored for each episode, first Hi-Def show, first all CGI effects, and first to prove you *don't* have to follow the Star Trek model for success. In season 2, the beat Star Trek for the Hugo and next year, did it again to prove it wasn't an accident. Characters were only used when needed and even killed when it served the story. The series *began* intended as a 5-season serial with all five seasons mapped out in advance, though with enough room to allow the story to "live."
The story was cohesive and well written and the characters were compelling. The show proved that it takes BOTH story and characters to achieve true greatness. I'm re-watching it with my son and the story is as relevant today as it it was 20 years ago. The alien cultures were very well developed and the makeup was amazing; NOT just a different nose bridge or ear caps. Space flight was based on Newtonian physics and the resulting battles were dizzying with ships flying in all directions and every orientation: sideways, backwards, upside down.
Bottom line, every SciFi show since 1993 - including the Star Trek franchise - owes a huge debt to Babylon 5.
1. Star Trek First, note well that I am referring to the Original Series only. None of the other Trek series makes this list -- and that includes Next Generation. More than any other show, Star Trek made televised SciFi serious. The show was initially rejected by CBS as "too cerebral." Star Trek made a conscious effort to put the Science in the Fiction, though some purist such as Arthur C. Clark disparagingly wrote it off as fantasy.
Though an adventurous "Wagon Train to the Stars," Star Trek still hit hard on the serious social issues humanity did, and still, faces - racism, war, equal rights, medical ethics, religion and on. It did it honestly and without fear of stepping on toes. The bridge crew included a Russian, the ultimate in aliens in Spock and women. Even more ground-breaking was that a senior command officer was a black woman.
Except for Doctor Who, without Star Trek, none of these other shows would have been.
Summary There could be a lot of honorable mentions, the BSG Reboot, Fringe, Stargate, Farscape; just to name a few. These and others are all good and sometimes great shows. However, in importance I think it is these five that set the precedents upon which all the others depend. These five shows set standards for stories, characters and effects that all the others have had to live up. They have proven themselves to be timeless in that they still hold their popularity today. I would love to hear your comments.
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