Doyce Testerman

Jackie bought me the Farscape PC game last week (according to the minimum requirements it shouldn’t even run on my box, but it does just fine, which I’ll credit to a large). The controls are a little weird, but the 360 pan is cool and EVERY SINGLE VOICE was done by the original actors, which is very cool. I already miss hearing those guys. Gigi’s ‘Chiana’ voice is so cool.
The secondary characters (which means anyone but the guy you’re currently controlling directly) don’t follow directions worth a damn, but that’s on purpose — you definitely have the sense that you’re in charge (not control) of a bunch of disparate alpha personalities. Luckily you can switch control to anyone you’re working with at the time, so if Chi’s wandering off out of boredom, you can switch to her and get her back in line.
Crighton follows any of the female characters very closely. Go fig.
Anyway, lots of shooting things and sounds of pulse pistols going off. Always good.
(Somehow, computer-controlled Chiana with a pulse rifle uses less ammo than I do running Crighton with a lil’ ol’ pulse pistol. Witness my lack of surprise.)

Lois McMaster Bujold, a right-fine sci-fi and fantasy writer whom I really can’t recommend enough, has prescreened the Two Towers and provides a review here, quite spoiler-free and predictably erudite.

Short, non-spoiler review:

Oh. Yes.

Longer version: This was very fine. [snip] As with the first film, I could spot quite perfect renditions of elements from the novel, over and over, just as described, which always made me want to cheer. It still stuns me that they managed to get anything this good past the Hollywood system.

I really don’t think I could look forward to tomorrow midnight anymore than I already am, but damned if this didn’t raise the bar again.

(via the charming and shockingly-powerful Madeline)

So from now on, the goal is to have Firefly picked up by another network. The first target at the Firefly Immediate Assistance Campaign is UPN. They’ve had success with Joss Whedon’s work in Buffy and previously expressed an interest in Angel. Send them a copy of the Variety ad using the postcards available here.
Address the postcards to:
DAWN TARNOFSKY-OSTROFF
PRESIDENT, ENTERTAINMENT (CEO)
UNITED PARAMOUNT NETWORK
11800 WILSHIRE BLVD
LOS ANGELES CA 90025
Firefly Immediate Assistance Campaign’s advice is to let them know how much you enjoyed the show while it was on FOX, and how eager you are for it to find a home with UPN. Keep things upbeat and positive. Some ideas for things to mention: your favorite episode, why the show moves you, why you think the show has potential, etc.

Four AM. Can’t sleep. Who’d have thought?

There’s a couple of things I’d like to say and a few things I really can’t. …

Don’t think for a second that I have given up on this show. I think it has been mistreated shamefully but the Fox network has indicated that they would not stand in the way (which they can) of my finding a new home for the show. That’s no easy prospect. But I will do everything in my power, as always, to keep this bird in the air. Of course I’ll post if there’s any news. …

So for now, I proudly take my place beside Profit, The Ben Stiller Show, The Tick, and Action. But I won’t rest until I’ve found safe harbour (no, not the Gregory Harrison show) for this vessel.

I’ve got the time.

It ain’t like I’m sleeping.

-joss.

So, hope springs eternal. Everyone say it with me: UPN, UPN, UPN — where the network is happy to have you.
Couple things:

• Firefly has more current viewers than Angel or Buffy.
• Their ‘horrible ratings’ are double-digit multiples of Buffy’s numbers the first season.

A cult hit on a smaller network seems like a perfect fit.

Tim Minear and Joss have announced that Fox has not picked the series up. No more episodes will be bought by Fox, though they claim to want to air the in-production eps now being worked on (2) at some point.
Here’s hoping Firefly flies on another network.
By the way, thanks go out to Jon, who hooked me up with a sweet little site that’s got all the Firefly eps available for download in electronic format. I’ve got them all on my harddrive for Christmas CD burning fun.

The people at fireflysupport.com ran an ad in todays edition of Variety (movie/television magazine widely read among industry types). There’s a copy of the ad
here.

The South Park/Firefly page that I linked to already has been updated with more images and a funny Jayne cartoon.
News: Firefly’s on hiatus in January (the December episodes are still on), although they’ll have three episodes produced and filmed but not yet shown. Fox was planning to move Firefly to Wednesdays at 9/8c, but the WB announced that they were moving Angel to… guess what? Wednesdays at 9/8c. In January.
Nice. Classy, even. So anyway, Fox decided to hold off, but is still moving in Firefly’s replacement.
Downside: Hiatus sucks.
Upside: Fox does seem to be putting some sort of effort into chewing over where to put the show where it had a chance of success and is trying not to mess things up worse than they already are.

Displaced Wednesday series “Fastlane” will move to Friday nights at 8 p.m. starting Jan. 10. The current time slot occupant “Firefly” will go on hiatus. Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman stressed that “Firefly” has not been canceled. New episodes will continue to air throughout December and the network is considering a new time slot for the series.

Now, here’s a little holiday message from Blue Sun, via Jules:

Did I explain the Blue Sun thing?

Continue reading “Firefly stuff”

Anyone else think that the ubervamp on Buffy last night looked like the “Grr Argh” Mutant Enemy guy finally got to be on the show?
I’m waiting for Buffy to be fighting him and say “yeah yeah yeah, ‘Grr Argh,’ we get it.”