New Star Trek

I just finished watching some of the latest trailers for the upcoming STAR TREK movie. So far it looks good, but trailers can be OH SO MISLEADING. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has gone to the movies expecting great things only to find that the trailers were the best part of the movie!

I am hoping the new STAR TREK is good -- my generation had the old STAR TREK -- it would be good to give this generation something to stretch their imagination -- looking toward the future with hope and wonder.

I love the actors chosen for the new movie. Chris Pine is a marvelous actor. I saw him in a movie on an airplane last year and he was terrific. Zach Quinto has always been a standout on HEROES -- he was just SO evil!!!! I'm not sure of the rest of the cast, but we'll soon see. May 8 is coming up fast and reviews are already starting to hit the internet. I am glad to say that most of them seem positive, so we'll compare notes once it hits the U.S. on May 8.

Take care.
Sandy

Dollhouse

I watched the premiere episode of DOLLHOUSE this morning on www.fox.com.  The series had been delayed a number of times and I'm sure people were anxious to see what Joss Whedon had come up with.  

Before I watched the episode, I read that ratings for the show were not very good.  Friday has killed a lot of series -- and so we'll have to see how Dollhouse does in the coming weeks.  

The first episode you got a little introduction to Echo, a girl who is programmed to do different tasks and then her memory is wiped and she waits for the next task.  It seems as if all the operatives are very good looking girls.  There is a backstory that you got a little of.  A police officer (I think he was police or FBI or something) was trying to find all the girls that had disappeared and had the key word - dollhouse but little else.  He was dedicated to finding the kidnapped girls, but his supervisors were not behind him.  They wanted him to give it up.

The main story focused on the kidnapping of a small girl -- the daughter of a Mexican businessman.  The kidnappers were asking for $10 million dollars and Echo is sent in as the mediator.  The memories she had been given were that of a skilled negotiator who was near-sighted with asthma.  As the show goes on, she challenges the kidnappers and sets up a meeting to get the little girl back.  As it turns out, the memories implanted into Echo were of a young lady who had been abducted at 9 and she runs into her kidnapper while trying to retrieve the little girl.  She does retrieve the girl -- so there is a happy ending -- sort of.  Echo goes back into the chamber and her memories are whipped clean.  She and others then go to their sleep chambers and wait for their next assignment.  

There are a lot of different things going on here.  There is the Echo story.  There is the FBI/special agent story looking for the missing young women.  There is the entire dollhouse organization and so you are left wondering what will come up next.  I liked Echo's handler -- a former policeman who really wanted to save the little girl and protect Echo.    So we'll see what happens next week.  

Did anyone else watch the episode?  What did you think?

Take care.

Sandy

FRINGE

I don't know how many of you watch FRINGE, but I absolutely love it. Yes, I know, it is somewhat strange, but that is perhaps what I like most about it. It does have some run-of-the-mill components to it, but there are some other elements of it that you don't see anywhere. I love Walter Bishop -- the mad scientist (he spent 17 years in a mental hospital - so he is really certifiable), but he is absolutely amazing. John Noble, who portrays Walter, is a fantastic actor and seems to enjoy the role enormously. Joshua Jackson is Peter Bishop, the son of Walter, and a very complex character. He has not known his father for many years -- but is needed in this instance so that Walter can get out of the institution. Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) works for a special unit of the FBI. They take on all the "weird" casts -- things from frozen people on a bus to people that turn into huge creatures like porcuppines.

While there is a different focus of the story each week, there is a layering of the backstory that continues and I think that is what keeps my interest. The characters grow before your eyes -- the relationship between Peter and Walter become less hostile; Peter gets closer to Olivia - and Olivia discovers more about her lover/ex-partner who they originally thought was guilt of treason against the US.

Each week you learn a little more and the relationships get a little deeper. Even the secondary actors, Lance Riddick (Phillip Broyles), Kirk Acevedo (Charlie Francis) and Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth) grow in interest and importance each week.

JJ Abrams knows how to write series TV, as we have seen in Lost and Alias. FRINGE is not as complex as LOST, but it has held my interest since it was first introduced. The other benefit is that you can see current episodes on Fox.com -- so you can catch up verye quickly on episodes you have missed. I wish you could do the same thing with THE MENTALIST or ELEVENTH HOUR. All you get there are clips.

Sandy

Super Bowl Weekend

It always amazes me that amount of hype for the Super Bowl each year.  Companies pay millions for a 60 second commercial -- and fortunately, they are some of the best you will see this year.  This year, NBC will take advantage of the internet, making the commercials available on the internet right after they air on the Super Bowl.  That is a wonderful development.  You won't have to worry about missing anything when you need a snack or have to go to the bathroom.

Being from Pennsylvania, I am rooting for the Steelers.  While I guess it would be cool for the underdog Cardinals to win, the Steelers have a good team and they have worked hard this year to get to this point in time.  Given the record of the Washington Redskins, it may be a long time before this team gets close to the Super Bowl.  They didn't have the worst record -- they started well but went down hill pretty fast.  Oh well, such is life in the NFL.  I haven't really been a football fan for years -- like since Roger Staubach was the QB for the Dallas Cowboys.  I can remember sitting on the edge of my seat watching some of the last-minute heroics.  

We had winter arrive here this week -- an ice storm arrived on Wednesday.  You can deal with snow, but ice is something else.  Another storm is headed our way for Monday/Tuesday so we'll see what ole man winter has in store for us this time.

Sandy

Inauguration Day

I don't know about you, but I sat in front of the TV most of the day. The events of the day were just awe-inspiring. To see the thousands and thousands of people, braving the cold temperatures, to watch this amazing event. The pictures on CNN and other news organizations showed the patchwork quilt that makes the fabric of the United States. People of every way of life were represented by the people in Washington today.

Along with the events of the day, I loved the commercials. Cisco had some absolutely marvelous commercials. Since I do video conferencing, they were particularly interesting to me. It is one technology that may finally find it's way to the top as fuel becomes more expensive and more emphasis is placed on "green" operations.

Hope you all had a great day.
Take care.
Sandy

Monday, January 20

Many of us have the day off today in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. It is a day of reflection for everyone -- regardless of race or political persuasion. Tomorrow, we will have a chance to see the 44th President inaugurated into office. While millions have come to Washington, DC to observe this page in history, I am going to opt out and watch it on TV. Not only is it going to be terribly cold, but with several million observers in town, the streets closed to just about all forms of traffic, I think watching the festivities from home is the best option.

I went to my one and only inauguration for President Nixon. It was terribly cold and I remember running to the corner drug store to get some hot chocolate with a friend. We had stood on a street corner for hours and still had hours to wait. Back then, security was nothing like it will be tomorrow. No backpacks, no strollers, no coolers -- just about everything is forbidden in the area of the parade route or near Capitol Hill. The news agencies will have the best seats in town -- and my seat will be nice and cozy, warm as I watch everything going on in town.

For anyone who has visited Washington, DC, you know it can be a confusing town -- even under the best of conditions. Tomorrow the subway is just about the best way around -- the absolute best is walking. With an expected record crowd coming to see Barak Obama sworn in as President, it is not a venture for the faint of heart. Everyone who ventures out tomorrow has my good wishes. I hope you enjoy the day -- and get some unbelievable pictures.

Take care,
Sandy

Two Passings Noted

Yesterday, two people died that are very well known to fans of science fiction.

Patrick McGoohan who many will either remember from THE PRISONER or SECRET AGENT or COLOMBO. He was a marvelous actor -- and quite a talented person. He wrote and directed many of THE PRISONER episodes. He won two Emmy awards for his role on COLOMBO. And he was also a Zorro-type character on a Disney series entitled THE SCARECROW. A&E is doing a new version of THE PRISONER. It will be interesting to see if it can capture the essence of the original series. McGoohan was perfect as #6, always challenging the authorities of The Village.

Ricardo Montalban had an air of sophistication about him that came through even when he was in heavy make-up. He was perfect as Khan on STAR TREK. He made STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN one of the most popular STAR TREK movies. He was awesome as the mysterious Mr. Rourke on FANTASY ISLAND and in his later years he lent his voice to a number of animated movies.

Both of these actors will be greatly missed. They created strong characters that we will not forget.

Take care,
Sandy