|
|
|
AVATAR run time, IMAX, budget & marketing
Complete Shatner Scenes from Star Trek script
SMALLVILLE Justice Society Trailer
Twilight: New Moon dethrones The Dark Knight - New opening day record set
Nov 23 | Chuck returns to NBC with a special two-hour show on Sunday, Jan 10, 2010, before returning to its regular time slot, Mondays at 8pm on the following night. It's return to prime time television can be attributed to a successful fan renewnal campaign last year. CHUCK is a one-hour, action-comedy series that follows Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, "Less Than Perfect") -- a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent. This upcoming season will include some special guest stars, including Brandon Routh of "Superman Returns" who will play CIA agent Daniel Shaw in an episode, and the addition of SUBWAY restaurant as a major advertiser to the show. Chuck averaged a 4.0/6 rating last season, about eight percent better than the recently cancelled "Trauma". Ratings-challenged Heroes moves back an hour when Chuck returns on Monday nights. STAR TREK VOYAGER's Robert Duncan McNeill serves Chuck as a supervising producer and director.
Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.
Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."
Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com. One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers. The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother, and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company. J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children. The auction link is here.
Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter
:
By BWilliams / 16:30, 25 October 2005 / Reviews - Books
Synopsis: Long before Captain Jean-Luc Picard took command of the Enterprise, he fell deeply and hopelessly in love with Dr. Beverly Crusher, though for one reason or another, Picard never acted on his feelings. But when Crusher leaves her position on the Enterprise to become the chief medical officer of Starfleet, the brightest light in Picard’s life is taken from him… and that’s just for starters.
Review: Where do I begin with a review of this newest hardcover novel? It's hard for me to pick a good starting point to begin, because there's so much that is on the surface intriguing yet ultimately wrong. Ultimately, I have to be honest and say that DEATH IN WINTER, the newest NEXT GENERATION novel from Michael Jan Friedman, really misses the mark in a significant plot suggestion hinted at on the novel's front cover.
Two weeks after the events of STAR TREK: NEMESIS, the Enterprise is still undergoing repairs, while Beverly Crusher has departed to become the head of Starfleet Medical (included as one of the deleted scenes on the recent NEMESIS Special Collector's Edition DVD). Picard, of course, is bothered by the fact that Crusher has left the Enterprise, but he soon receives word that Beverly has been declared missing in action on the planet Kevratas in Romulan space, leading to the conclusion that Beverly has been killed in the line of duty. It's up to Picard to reunite with two of his former Stargazer comrades, Pug Joseph and Carter Greyhorse, and pick up the trail to discover the truth. What Picard uncovers is more continuing intrigue with the Romulans and the return of an old enemy out for vengeance.
One of the problems with DEATH IN WINTER is the inexplicable amount of gaps in time, as scenes early on seem to jump forward in time without so much as an explanation. For me, there has to be at the very least something believable to convince me about the passage of time. Even a line such as, 'A week later, on Kevratas,' or something similar would work. Maybe I'm just accustomed to that.
But it's not until a third of the way into the novel that Friedman lets the air out of the proverbial balloon and divulges to the reader that it's not so. To me, that's too early to let the story deflate, and that's not a good mark for a story. Had this particular plot point been held back until much later in the novel, perhaps toward the end, then it could have built up lots more suspense and intrigue in the process, possibly allowing for the introduction of many more interesting plot devices that could have swayed readers into thinking something completely different. For me, that makes for a far more interesting story to be delivered.
That's not to say Friedman has done a bad job in picking up the pieces from NEMESIS and moved the cast forward. As he has done on many occasions in the past, he has a good grasp of the characterization of all involved in the NEXT GENERATION saga. It's just that one of the main problems lies in picking up the pieces after the beautiful and devastating train wreck that was NEMESIS. With one main character already dead, and two others (Riker and Troi) departed for the Titan, the suggestion of another biting the bullet, this time in print, is enough to send even the most loyal TREK fan spinning and disillusioned. But Friedman, like the other writers in the TREK stable, is cautious about staying true to established on-screen canon and writers' guidelines, so while DEATH IN WINTER doesn't follow through on its initial perceptions, it comes dangerously close. Friedman's portrayals of Worf and Geordi LaForge are spot-on once again, demonstrating their continued loyalty to their captain and their comrades. And we do have the return of two of Picard's shipmates from the Stargazer, Pug Joseph and Carter Greyhorse, in strong supporting roles that effectively push the story forward. And the final culmination resonates from a story point referenced earlier in the A TIME TO... series and in one of the final season episodes of TNG.
I guess when I first heard about DEATH IN WINTER, I went in with much loftier expectations, and on that part it's my fault. The jacket cover sure seems to suggest something completely different that led to those expectations, as I'm sure it did with a lot of fans. Michael Jan Friedman certainly had me fooled. Sometimes it's a good thing. This time, however, it isn't.
| TrekWeb's Rating Scale | |
 |
A Must Read |
 |
Recommended |
 |
Average |
 |
Mediocre |
 |
Don't Bother |
 Reply |
 Quote |
|
Reply |
Quote |
| 
