Speaking of UK Sci-Fi...

...we received bad news back in June that ITV's 'Primeval' had gotten the axe and wouldn't return to airing on BBC America here in the U.S. (or anywhere else for that matter). Luckily, in late September, it was announced that a deal had been struck between ITV, BBC Worldwide and several other partners to produce two new series of the show to air in 2011.

Nowhere nearly as good as 'Doctor Who' and/or 'Torchwood', plus it kind of lost some of it's luster by the end of Series 3. That said, I enjoyed the hell out of it and it became a staple in my weekly viewing habits. Good to see it'll be back!

Just a Reminder...

I'm both excited and a bit saddened to say that the final 'Doctor Who' specials marking the end of the David Tennant/Russell T. Davies era drop over the next two weeks. 'The End of Time - Part I' will air here in the states on the Beeb America on 26-Dec-09 and 'Part II' on 2-Jan-10. Very cool that, unlike 'Water of Mars', we only have to wait one day after they air in the UK!

This past year has seen my level of fanboy-dom over this show reach near obsessive heights and I see no signs that it'll decrease in 2010. My hope is that Matt Smith and Steven Moffat can further expand on what has truly become one of the most fascinating characters on TV (sci-fi or otherwise). I know i'll be watching.

GEEK BLING!!!

Ran across the above Doctor Who 'Tomb of the Cybermen' Promo Pin rooting around online a few weeks ago and went ahead and nabbed it. It'll (fix up) look sharp on my new Spiewak winter jacket I purchased a while back.

Still working on my official return to the Blogosphere, but I may post a few updates here prior...just to help shake the rust off. Stay tuned!

Oi! Where Does the TIME Go?!

Wow. I knew it had been a while since i'd updated the blog...but not that long. It's not without good reason though, I FOUND NEW EMPLOYMENT!

Honestly, i'm still a little unsure when i'll get back to posting more robust dollops of useless pap. I've got a lot to focus on over the next few months, but i'll try and get back to it as soon as I can. I'm sure I won't be able to keep my opinions to myself for too long...so keep checking back, kids. BE WELL!

To Boldly Go, Where No Trek Flick Has Gone Before...

As I said on Friday, I caught that new 'Star Trek' flick and thought i'd step up w/ a tad meatier review today. I've never been a 'Trekkie' by any means...watched the original series here and there as a kid...caught the first 2-3 films and really only liked 'Wrath of Khan'...caught an occasional episode of 'New Generation'...and then completely lost interest as the whole property became diluted by all the spin-offs. Leave it to J.J. Abrams to not only capture my interest again, but make a total geek over it.

This film successfully captures a lot of the best elements of the original TV series and infuses it w/ a more modern, more action-packed attitude. Don't take that the wrong way...there is plenty of substance here. 'Star Trek' just leans a little more on the fiction than the science and it works. I would have felt dirty watching it had it just been a sexier, younger version of the property and, while it definitely is both sexier and younger looking, felt pretty satisfied they blended it w/ an engaging story as well.

The flick is a fun twist on the origin story of the crew of the Enterprise. Via the plot device of time-traveled altered realities, the film really becomes a true re-boot and a fresh one at that. Abrams dipped into the old Trek mythos where appropriate, but never really panders to it either. As with the original, the relationship between Kirk and Spock is the foundation for the rest of the story and both Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto did a great job in making that happen. Actually, Quinto completely nailed the whole Spock thing and the rest of the casting worked well to boot.

Bottom line, a whole mess of fun and i'm thinking it is going to be pretty hard for any other flick to come close to beating it this Summer. I'm already stoked about the potential for a sequel and the film has only been out for a few weeks. Whether your a sci-fi nerd like myself or not, you'll enjoy this...or may I choke on a Tribble.

Saturday Bonus Track...

I have absolutely fallen in love w/ this song (and the album it came from) all over again.

Soul Asylum in 1988, performing 'Sometime to Return' on what may have been MTV's 120 Minutes or some other short-lived variety show from when that channel was still cool.

Sorry Kids...

A lot of good traction w/ some possible job leads, had some beers w/ a friend yesterday afternoon and went and saw that new 'Star Trek' flick this afternoon. Review forthcoming on the latter, but suffice to say...PHENOMENAL.

Live Long. Prosper. Have a Great Weekend!

It's the Little Things...

...that make me happy as of late. Things like my kids being in a good mood this morning, the LOST season finale tonight and (best of all) a new Wilco album.

More on the last one coming soon.

Hooray! 'Primeval' Season 3!

I was watching 'Doctor Who' on BBC America last night and saw that Season 3 of 'Primeval' starts this Saturday, 16-May! Like I said earlier, while not as good the good Doctor...it's still a really fun show. It'll be perfect for some Summer UK Sci-Fi escapism and I highly suggest you give it a try.

Also saw that 'Torchwood: Children of Earth' will air in July! Going to be some good stuff to catch this Summer!

ROCK IS DEAD...ALMOST.

Great sketch from Kids in the Hall. 'If I can't air guitar...I want no air at all.'

DOM DELUISE 1933 -2009

R.I.P., Captain Chaos.

...OH MY!

Amazingly, I almost forgot to post up w/ major props for 'da Bulls, Cubs and Hawks...what a GREAT weekend that was for Chicago sports fans, eh?

Just Wondering...

...when the hell are we going to get airdates for the new Torchwood?

I've read both Spring and Summer of 2009, but nothing concrete. Cool thing is, it'll air on both the UK and American Beeb at the same time! No waiting...unlike the next Who special, that won't show up until late in the year.

A Little More WHO for YOU...

Came across this awesome little 'family portrait' of all 10 Doctors. Courtesy of Dave Perillo, who also did some fun horror flick caricatures I posted up during last year's AMBFAD Halloween Spook-tacular.

Be sure to go check out his other work spanning all your favorite folks from across the pop-culture universe!

Ohhhhh...MAGIC BUS!

Yikes! I got so busy w/ a family-filled weekend, that I didn't even notice the second Doctor Who special, 'Planet of the Dead', had aired across the pond on Easter Sunday! I sat down with it this morning after the kids went to school (thanks YouTube!) and wow...IT WAS FOOKING PHENOMENAL! I think I actually enjoyed it even more than the X-mas special and that was great spot of TV as well.

The story was so well written and David Tennant was, again, BRILLIANT as The Doctor. It made the whole experience of watching it extremely bittersweet...w/ both Russell Davies and Tennant leaving the series after the 2009 2-part X-mas special, it feels like a fantastic ride that you never want to end. Michelle Ryan as this go-round's companion, Lady Christina de Souza, was excellent as well. I'd love to see a whole other season of her and David, but (alas) that ain't in the cards.

That said, we'll have another special airing later this year prior to the big Tennant X-mas finale, in 'The Waters of Mars'...which looks pretty badass as well. Wonder if we'll find out anything more on those '4 knocks' and how they tie in w/ The Doctor's inevitable regeneration. Time(lord) will tell, I suppose. Allon-sy!

Bunny Bonus Party Cut...

I know Easter isn't until Sunday, but I wanted to post up w/ this vintage UPA 'Peter Cottontail' toon from the 50's. Equally as swinging as the 'Frosty the Snowman' one I shared around X-mas. Fun stuff.

'PLANET OF THE DEAD' TRAILER!

Holy. Balls. Trailer for the next Doctor Who special and it looks great. I'm seriously peeing my fanboy pants right now.

Cybermen Call Center

Ha! This was up on YouTube a while back, but I just saw it.

'I can't press anything. I don't have any fingers.'

Mo' Money, NO Problems?!

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...so, I did both. Best coverage of the worst coverage of our current financial clusterfuck i've ever seen. Do yourself a favor and go watch the entire episode...especially you, Jim Kramer.

Seriously. MAGNIFICENT.

Like I said, this so should have been the first single...that is some absolutely vintage Edge guitar. I cannot wait to see this tune performed live!

'I can feel that right in my chest! Tremendous.'