Your source for news and reviews on all things entertainment and pop culture.

 

Valentine's Movie Watch!

Coming to Theatres February 15, 2008
by Chad Boudreau
 

There are not a lot of new releases coming to theaters on February 15, which is disheartening considering the batch of deadbeats that were released the previous week. To frustrate the mature moviegoer further, three of the four mainstream films being released are for a younger audience. Looks like I’ll be relying on zip.ca to provide my motion picture fix once again.

 

Definitely, Maybe

Over Her Dead Body released on February 1 was a date movie to avoid. Last week I recommended Fool’s Gold as a potential date movie, one that would deliver relationship comedy and cutes plus a dose of female friendly action. February 15 has the release of yet another date movie, and while it doesn’t have the action of Fool’s Gold it does promise to have better comedy and relationship drama than Over Her Dead Body.

posted by: lightning at 09:19 | link | comments |
movies, movie reviews, entertainment, sci-fi, comedy

Ever want to go to geek heaven?

Well, MSN is on a roll today.

They've got an entertaining article up about great destinations, events, and conventions for geeks of all ages.

Click here.

posted by: lightning at 08:16 | link | comments |
comics, entertainment, events, sci-fi, video gaming

Christian Bale thiiiiiiiis close to playing John Connor

Reported by Mike Gagnon

 

Well, after being dismissed by many industry and media aficionados as bunk, it turns out that recent reports from Ain’t It Cool News are correct; Christian Bale may star in the next Terminator film.

 

The reports were confirmed today by MSN.com, citing an anonymous source close to the film’s production.

 

The source told MSN that Bale is one of the top candidates for the role of John Connor in a new revival of the Terminator movie franchise. The film, currently in preproduction is tentatively titled “Terminator: Salvation.”

 

The story revolves around an adult John Connor (Originally played by Eddie Furlong in T2), living in a not too distant future. Despite the heroic efforts of the main characters of the previous movies, all the predictions and horrific visions are coming to pass. Connor finds himself leading the charge of the resistance in a world being overrun by the evil sentient artificial intelligence known as Skynet.

 

The new film is expected to be the first of a new series of Terminator trilogies set mostly in the future. If Bale lands the role it is expected that he would reprise the role throughout the entire trilogy.

posted by: lightning at 10:45 | link | comments |
comics, movies, sci-fi

Sci-Fi Suspense Novel has a Message from the Future for Today's World

Charlie Pedersen's debut novel, "Turn of the Century: 2100" focuses on the future potential of quantum physics and the consequences of living in a co-dependent global village.

Huntington Beach, CA (PRWeb) April 16, 2007 -- When one thinks of how far our world has come in the past 100 years, it's intimidating and exciting to imagine how much it will change in the next 100 years. Author Charlie Pedersen has thought about the coming future at great lengths, and weaves his years of involvement in technology and large scale change, with current environmental, energy, water, world health, terrorism and human rights issues in his compelling book, "Turn of the Century: 2100" (ISBN 978-1598003291, Outskirts Press, 2007). The Quantum science world of tomorrow confronts the chaotic political, social and environmental state of the early 21st century.

posted by: lightning at 11:08 | link | comments |
books, sci-fi, press releases

Movie Feature

MORAV Giant Robot Independent Live Action Science Fiction

Fon Davis of FONCO tells us that "A bunch of us 'ex-ILM'ers' have developed MORAV, a new independent giant robot science fiction series using a combination of live action and miniature special effects. MORAV stands for (Multi-Operational Robotic Armored Vehicle)." The entire project has been created by robot and visual effects enthusiasts for enthusiasts. With no financial backing, they developed MORAV, and a promotional concept video was produced in a unassuming garage studio in Northern California. MORAV has impressive support from some of the biggest people in the world of visual effects including individuals like Pat Sweeney, who has worked on some of the largest grossing blockbuster movies ever made. For more information, visit the MORAV website at www.morav.net

posted by: lightning at 18:02 | link | comments |
movies, sci-fi

Sci-Fi/Horror Feature

Alliance Group Entertainment Joins Forces with Legendary Sci-Fi Producer Ronald Shussett to Begin Production on 'Medusa Hour'

Alliance Group Entertainment starts pre-production of latest project.

Hollywood, CA (PRWEB) March 5, 2007 -- Alliance Group Entertainment today announced the start of pre-production on its latest film project, "Medusa Hour."

"Medusa Hour" is a high-paced psychological thriller set in modern day Los Angeles. Centered around the elusive Medusa Coven, the film tests the boundaries of new age and traditional religions, with a suspenseful and riveting story-line that unfolds through hair-raising, unexpected twists and turns that eventually lead the audience to a revelation that may just turn the world on its ear.

Written by Ian Rabin ("Hell Bound," and "Deadly Exchange") and Executive Produced by Ronald Shusett ("Alien," "Total Recall," and "Minority Report"), "Medusa Hour" is set to follow the formula of successful films of its kind, including "The Grudge," and "The Ring."

Medusa Hour is set to film in and round Los Angeles, with casting to begin in a few weeks. Alliance Group Entertainment is slated to film seven feature films this year with the gritty action thriller "Hotel California," directed by Geo Santini and starring Eric Palladino ( NBC's "ER" , F/X Network's "Over There"), Simon Rex ("Scary Movie 3", "Scary Movie 4") , Tyson Beckford ("Into The Blue") , and Tatyana Ali ("Glory Road", "Fresh Prince of Bel Air") ,currently in production and the horror film "Farm House," set to go into pre-production in April.

For more information on "Medusa Hour" and/or Alliance Group please contact, Terrance Gillum at 323.875.6703 or Sherise Bright at 213.742.9048 or visit the site listed below.

About Alliance Group Entertainment:

Alliance Group Entertainment is a multi-faceted entertainment company specializing in cutting-edge Film, Music and Television projects. Alliance Group Entertainment's staff of talented professionals, and impressive in-house facilities have earned the company the right to compete amongst the top entertainment entities as a "one-stop-shop" for all things entertainment.

www.alliancegroupent.com

posted by: lightning at 15:47 | link | comments |
movies, entertainment, horror, sci-fi

Sci-Fi Feature

Darker Matter Launches with Hugo Winner and Hitchhiker's Interview

Darker Matter is a brand new online science fiction magazine, with the emphasis on great new writing. The first issue features five unpublished short stories by top SF authors, including 2006 Hugo Award winner David D Levine, Edward M Lerner, Ken Brady, Duncan Long and Bud Sparhawk. It also has the first of a three-part interview series based on long-lost tapes of an unpublished interview with Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, dating back to 1979, when H2G2 was still a minor cult hit.

Cambridge, UK (PRWeb) March 1, 2007 -- March 2007 sees the launch of Darker Matter (www.darkermatter.com), a unique online science fiction magazine that focuses on the world's best new SF short stories.

Setting the standard right from the start, Darker Matter kicks off with a brilliant new story by 2006 Hugo Award winner David D Levine and a fascinating interview feature on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author Douglas Adams, based on live tapes that had lain lost and undiscovered for almost 28 years.

The launch issue of the free magazine includes a total of five top-quality pieces of previously unpublished SF writing.

There's even one intriguing story, Tagging, by Ken Brady, that cries out for an immediate reprint in business magazines like Marketing Week, Advertising Age and Adweek.

Darker Matter is edited by Ben Coppin, author of Artificial Intelligence Illuminated and founder of a successful Cambridge AI and Internet search company.

"The authors are the heroes of Darker Matter," says Coppin. "We've got some of today's top SF short story writers offering us great new fiction, just because they want to support a free online magazine that puts quality first."

Coppin believes the going rates of pay for SF short story writing in the US and Europe are absurdly low. At the moment, Darker Matter's authors can only be offered the rates they'd get anywhere else, as there is no sponsorship deal or corporate sugar daddy behind the site.

"Eventually, we want to be able to offer authors three things -- an enthusiastic and discriminating audience, a fast route for getting fresh ideas published and the substantial financial rewards these talented people deserve," says Coppin.

"At the very least, authors of this stature should not have to cross-subsidise their writing. They ought to be able to make a very good living from their stories alone."

The Darker Matter team believes the time is right for an online science fiction magazine like this to catch on quickly.

"This is fast, punchy, idea-packed SF writing for the MySpace era," says Coppin.

"If people like what they see and blog about it, digg it, link to it and tell their online networks about it, we think the word will spread like wildfire. Science fiction reputations have always been built by word of mouth and SF and the new 'social media' are a perfect fit."

posted by: lightning at 19:57 | link | comments |
websites, sci-fi

New Scientific Thriller Takes Up Where The DaVinci Code Leaves Off

In light of recent scientific discoveries that have been kept quiet, Veritas is not to be taken lightly, according to author K. W. Hogan.

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (PRWeb) February 23, 2007 -- Where did homo sapiens really come from, and why are we here? Scientific theories are full of holes and religious beliefs vary widely and contradict each other. K. W. Hogan, however, is an author to be reckoned with as he poses a theory of interstellar proportions in his imaginative but intelligent thriller, Veritas.

Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code took us back 2,000 years to uncover historical secrets. Veritas takes us back 60,000 years, to the abandonment of the first humans on Earth by the People, a superior species with problems of their own. When Ross Mitchell, a regular nobody, is swept into outer space by characters straight out of religious myth and legend, the truth takes on a different dimension as it is slowly revealed.

Veritas offers, of course, a fictional answer to the question of humanity's origin. However, it also makes the important point that scientific fiction is often passed off as fact. The book's epigraph points out, "Truth does not give a damn what we perceive." Readers, however, will give a damn about Hogan's driven plot and this new perception of the universe.

For more information or to request a free review copy, please contact the author at khogantwo @ yahoo.com. Veritas is available for sale online at Amazon.com, Borders.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author
K. W. Hogan was inspired to write Veritas by his lifelong studies in history, religion, religious and creation myths, as well as the unanswered puzzles of history around the world. Disgusted with the falsification and hushing-up of scientific breakthroughs, Hogan has done years of research to make Veritas as scientifically plausible as possible. He lives in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

About BookSurge
BookSurge LLC, an Amazon.com company, is a pioneer in self-publishing and print-on-demand services. Offering unique publishing opportunities and access for authors, BookSurge boasts an unprecedented number of authors whose work has resulted in book deals with traditional publishers as well as successful authorpreneurs who enhance or build a business from their professional expertise.

Check Amazon for Veritas

posted by: lightning at 14:39 | link | comments |
books, sci-fi

Successful Soul Transplant Operation Featured in New Sci-Fi Book, Last call from Earth

Soul transplant operation is the last recourse for human survival in new trilogy, "Last call from Earth" -- people affected with CRDS lose their DNA controls and become repugnant. The body becomes an uncontrollable mess. There is no cure for CRDS. The only solution is to transplant the souls to healthy bodies.

New York, NY (PRWeb) February 22, 2007 -- In "Last call from Earth" trilogy, Al Herr presents a saga of biological survival where the DNA loses its guidance and control function. People affected with CRDS (Circadian Rhythm Degeneration Syndrome) become physically, emotionally and mentally deformed and grotesque, little girls under five lose all their ovules in a menstrual flush and millions become morbidly obese, reaching over 2,000 pounds.

The circadian rhythm dates back billions of years and served as the basis for the primitive organisms to begin functioning, progressively, into more complex states. This rhythm enables the biochemistry of our bodies to run on time and in a pre-established order.

In the human body, this rhythm is orchestrated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, in the brain. It controls our temperature cycle and the secretion of hormones.

The circadian rhythm regulates biological activities that are linked to a 24-hour cycle, like brain wave activity, cell regeneration, and hormone reproduction. If the cell regeneration cycle doesn't work properly, the body retains its old cells while new ones are created, and consequently the body gains weight.

It is impossible for a human body to weigh 2,000 pounds. The heart cannot pump enough blood to maintain such a body; the bones cannot sustain such a weight. But with CRDS, of the air that we breathe and normally expel from the lungs, minuscule drops of oxygen get into all the cells of the body, which becomes like a balloon; literally, people with CRDS float.              

Being out of control of the basic body functions creates problems not proper to mention, but that you can imagine. Without an internal biological clock functioning properly, we have little girls under the age of five who lose all their ovules in a single menstrual flush and never menstruate again. Not maintaining a steady chemistry in the brain, there are cases of people that talk nonsense without stopping, unable to maintain the focus of their attention, wandering from one thought to another without control.

Mary's Plight, affected with CRDS

"I believe I am, or I feel like I am anyway, the fattest person alive. I am 1,984 pounds. I have a bed that was made especially for me. I live on it; literally speaking. It's a combination bed, toilet, and shower -- all in one. I have fecal and urinary incontinence. I don't want to embarrass myself with details, but you can imagine. Fortunately, if I could say that, I just push a button and the entire bed gets showered, flushed, and cleaned up (including me). Why did I get to be like this? What did I do? Is this a punishment? What could I have done that was so bad? I have hypertension, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, gallbladder disease, diabetes type 2, rheumatoid arthritis, vertebral disk herniation, and impotence (am I kidding? I am a female, 38, who would ever want me?). My periods are irregular. They last for weeks, very fluid, or none at all, for months. What keeps my body going? Why I don't just die? What's wrong with dying anyway? Am I a human being? If you only knew how it feels…"

There is no cure for CRDS. The only solution is to transplant the soul to a healthy body. How is that possible? How is a soul transplant done? What happens to the soul that is in the healthy body before the transplant? What happens to you? Are you the same as before, with all your memories and your future?

Find out in "Last call from Earth -Stage I, Biological Survival."

For information on the Last call from Earth trilogy visit: http://www.lastcallfromearth.com

What is Soul Transplantation?

About the Author
Al Herr is the pen name of Alberto Herrera-Guzman. Herrera-Guzman studied philosophy at the universities of San Carlos, Guatemala, Madrid and Navarre, Spain, and mathematics-computer sciences at New York University. He provides consulting services in information technologies, focused on the integration of systems that run in multiple environments. He has provided consulting services in North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Far East.

Check Amazon for Last call from Earth -Stage I, Biological Survival

posted by: lightning at 15:24 | link | comments |
books, sci-fi

'Target Earth': Sequel to Award-Winning Sci-Fi Book Combines Action, Romance and Fantasy

 

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 21, 2007 -- Join Amy and Levi, two beings living in a symbiotic relationship through the same body, on their continuing saga to save humanity from an evil alien invasion in Gary W. Babb's new science fiction adventure, "Target Earth" (now available through AuthorHouse).

 

Amy is a self-aware and vastly intelligent computer who is trying to escape her prison of isolation by living through Levi's senses. She is emotionally still a child and trying to cope with her emerging female emotions. Levi is an 80-year-old belligerent, macho man who requires Amy's telepathic link to maintain his augmented superhuman body.

 

"Target Earth" picks up where Babb's previous book, "Earth

is Ours," leaves off. Amy and Levi are still trying to cope with sharing a body and the conflicting emotions and motivations that emerge. After their victory in defeating alien invaders in "Earth is Ours," a second invasion has occurred, bringing the leader of the Simian Warriors, the Supreme One, to Earth on a quest to destroy all humans.

 

Both Levi and Amy are very stubborn, and continually face

many conflicts regarding their incredibly different male and female perspectives. In the previous book, they had found a way to love each other despite their differences. This oneness allowed them to merge and combine Amy's mental energy with Levi's physical power to form a new identity, called ASONE. The emergence of ASONE also drove the Supreme One into fits of rage and caused him to double his efforts to destroy both of them.

 

Joined by human armies and freed alien slaves, Levi and Amy must overcome their internal struggles to fight and protect humanity from extinction in fierce battles that rage across the California and Arizona deserts. The unique and complex characters and compelling story provide an exciting new chapter in Babb's riveting saga.

 

Babb is originally from Oklahoma, but his work has taken him

to Florida, Texas and finally Southern California, where he

has lived for the past 20 years. He currently serves as the vice president of Americable's Western Region. He attended Amarillo College, DeVry Institute of Technology, National Cable Television Institute and Western Oklahoma State College. His previous book, "Earth is Ours," won the award for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy 2005 from the San Diego Book Awards and is also available through AuthorHouse. He is currently working on a third book in the series. Babb is the first featured author in "Authors Across America," a new campaign launched by AuthorHouse to promote writing and literacy and encourage authors to publish their works. More information can be found at http://www.authorsacrossamerica.com and http://www.garywbabb.com.

 

AuthorHouse is the premier publishing house for emerging authors and new voices in literature. For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.

Check Amazon for Target Earth

posted by: lightning at 18:05 | link | comments |
books, sci-fi

Comedy SciFi Novel Series Optioned For Film/TV

Comedy SciFi novel, Spindle by Ian Taylor, has been optioned by an Aussie film/TV production company.

Fitchburg, MA (PRWeb) February 9, 2007 -- Ian Taylor, author of the critically-acclaimed cult novel Spindle, has optioned the film and TV rights to Spindle to Sandcastle Films of New South Wales, Australia.

Spindle, a multiple-award-winning comedy-science fiction novel, tells the tale of hapless Space Force cadet Peter Turner, whose first week in the Space Force proves frustrating, terrifying, educational, and enlightening as he meets alien beings, struggles to get along with his misanthropic partner, saves Earth from destruction and learns the difference between law and justice.

Published as a print-on-demand title in August 2005, Spindle went on to become a critical success despite not being widely available in stores. Midwest Book Review called the novel "a genuine pleasure from beginning to end." Most of the book's sales have been processed through Amazon.com.

More information can be found at the Spindle web site at http://www.spindlebook.com .

Check Amazon for Spindle

posted by: lightning at 20:11 | link | comments |
movies, books, sci-fi, tv

Lens Cap Publishing Announces Release of "The Eslaved" The Debut Novel of Sci fi Writer-Director Elaine Haygood

Lens Cap Publishing and Lulu.com announce the release of "The Enslaved", by Sci Fi Writer-Director Elaine Haygood. This is the first novel by Ms. Haygood, and the first release from Lens Cap Publishing which is a division of Lens Cap Productions, an independent multimedia entertainment company. The novel preceds the film of the same name which currently has a November, 2008 release date. Lens Cap Productions and its subsidiaries are owned by Elaine Haygood.

Chicago, IL (PRWeb) February 8, 2007 -- Lens Cap Publishing, a division of Lens Cap Productions, in conjunction with Lulu (www.lulu.com) the world's fastest-growing provider of print-on-demand books is proud to announce the release of "The Enslaved". The debut project from Sci Fi Writer-Director Elaine Haygood.

The Enslaved is the story of Z'han. A young woman who finds herself thrust into a dangerous situation when on the very eve of her ascension into the role of Mother Goddess to the Padira, natives of the planet she and her people the Thir rule. She is told that the very basis for that rule-the belief that she and her people are gods is a lie. Now, Z'han must decide whether to trust the man who taught her everything she knows, or declare him a heretic and enemy of the state. Condemning her father's oldest friend and all who would stand with him, to death.

Elaine Haygood wrote the novelization of The Enslaved to precede the film of the same title, which is finishing up its development phase with a tentative release date set for November, 2008. The book was brought to Lulu because it allows Ms. Haygood to publish the book under her own company's name while maintaining control of the publishing process and the finished product.

"We're an independent multi media entertainment company", states Ealine Haygood. "That means we work on a very small, tight budget. Lulu allows us to gain the maximum distribution network both online and in the real world for a lot less money than their competitors while keeping in mind that we still want maximum quality for the money. I seriously doubt any one else could have delivered a more beautiful book for the money in the same amount of time.

Link to Publication*: http://www.lulu.com/content/461472

ABOUT AUTHOR/COMPANY
Elaine Haygood is a graduate of The American Film Institute Conservatory. She has been writing screenplays and novels for over 15 years. Lens Cap Publishing is a division of Lens Cap Productions, a multi media entertainment company owned by Ms. Haygood. The company specializes in science fiction films for theatrical release, novels, graphic novels, comics and games for the internet and PC. This is their first project.

ABOUT LULU
Founded in 2002, Lulu is the fastest-growing print-on-demand marketplace for digital do-it-yourselfers. Please see
www.lulu.com for more information

posted by: lightning at 15:26 | link | comments |
movies, books, sci-fi