27 February 2004

Newest Grandmaster Named
SFWA has announced that Robert Silverberg will be named the next Science Fiction Grand Master at this year's Nebula Awards Banquet. Silverberg published his first story, "Gorgon Planet," in Nebula magazine in 1954. Since then, Silverberg has published countless stories and books under a variety of pseudonyms. He has edited several anthologies and been the recipient of four Hugo Awards, including "Most Promising New Author" in 1956. five Nebula Awards, a Retro-Hugo, and is a living inductee into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

Spamalot to Open in Chicago
Spamalot, the Broadway musical based on the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail is set to open at Chicago's Schubert Theatre for its final rehearsals from December 21 through January 16. The creative director of the musical will be Mike Nichols working from a book by Eric Idle with music by Idle and John Du Prez. The show is expected to open on Broadway in April 2005. Recent Broadway hits "The Producers" and "Movin' Out" also held their final rehearsals in Chicago.

Comet Lander Launch Postponed
High winds caused the European Space Agency to postpone the planned February 26 launch of the Rosetta spacecraft to February 27. On February 27, a falling piece of foam once again postponed the spacecraft's launch. The next possible date for a launch is March 2.

Two Antarctic Dinosaurs Discovered
Two new species of dinosaur have been discovered in Antarctica. A 1.8 meter tall carnivore was discovered on James Ross Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. The discoverers believe it lived about 70 million years ago. Another team of paleontologists have discovered the remains of a 200 million-year-old herbivore on Mt. Kilpatrick, approximately 3900 meters above sea level.

Beagle Found
Archaologists believe they have found the remains of the HMS Beagle beneath a marsh in Essex. The Beagle, which was first launched in 1820, was the boat on which Charles Darwin sailed more than a decade later on a voyage which helped him develop the theory of evolution. The Beagle later became a coastguard vessel and it was sold for scrap in 1870.

Historic Spacewalk Shortened
A spacewalk planned for February 26 was shorter than anticipated due to technical malfunctions. The spacewalk was the first in history to leave the International Space Station completely unmanned as both men serving on the station, cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri and astronaut Michael Foale, both suited up and left the habitat. Three hours into the walk, Kaleri reported moisture on the inside of his helmet which may have indicated a malfunction in the suit's temperature control unit. The spacewalk ended about ninety minutes early.

26 February 2004

Fforde Wins Dilys Award
British author Jasper Fforde won the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Dilys Award for his novel Lost in a Good Book. The Dilys Award was created in 1993 and is presented to the mystery title member booksellers have most enjoyed selling during the previous year. The award is named for Dilys Winn, the founder of the first mystery specialty bookstore in the US.

Coins Proves Emperor Existed
According to a couple of ancient texts, the Roman General Domitianus was ousted for treason after setting himself up as emperor in Britain. His reign lasted a mere four days. Brian Malin, a British tresure hunter, recently discovered a trove of coins which included a single coin with Domitianus's image on it, the first proof that he actually did try to establish himself as emperor. A similar coin had been found in France about 100 years ago, but was deemed a forgery.

Comet Lander to be Launched
The European Space Agency plans to launch the Rosetta spacecraft on Thursday from its Kourou launch facility in French Guiana. The rocket will rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.in 2014 and land on the comet's nucleus, the first spacecraft to make such a landing.

Obituary
Samuel Earl Konkin III (b.1947) died on February 23. Konkin was a member of the New York University Science Fiction Club and a founder of apa-nu. A proponent of libertarianism, he published the fanzine New Libertarian Notes after he moved to California.

25 February 2004

Isaac Asimov Award Winners
The winners of the Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writing have been announced. The award was established by Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine and the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts to recognize excellence in writing by undergraduate students. This year's winner is Anthony Ha, of Stanford University, for the story "Orbiting." Second place was awarded to Barbara Wright, of the University of Houston, for "Community," and third place went to Amelia Beamer, from Michigan State University, for "Assisted Living." Mr. Ha will receive $500, an invitation to the IAFA Conference in Florida, and possibly have his entry published in Asimov's.

Dinosaurs in India
Crews digging to erect a telephone tower in Balasinore, India, uncovered a large round stone. The stone turned out to be the fossilized remains of a 65 million year old dinosaur egg weighing 4 kilograms. Last August, bones from a new species of dinosaur, the Rajasaurus narmadensis, were discovered twenty kilometers from Balasinore in Raioli.

King Tops 1 Billion
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" has become only the second film ever to top one billion dollars in worldwide theatrical sales, becomes the fastest film to ever reach that level in only ten weeks. The only other film to reach 1 billion was Titanic, which earned 1.8 billion..

23 February 2004

Student Science Fiction and Fantasy Contest
Noreascon 4 and Baltimore Worldcon 1998 have announced the continuation of the Student Science Fiction and Fantasy Contest which was instituted at Bucconeer in 1998. The contest has three categories,: short story, artwork and science essay, and prizes will be awarded for three age groups in each category. Entries must be postmarked by March 31, 2004 and sent to Student Science Fiction and Fantasy Contest, POB 314, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. For more information, see http://www.bucconeer.worldcon.org/contest/index.htm.

New Fan Fund Announced
The MiNoFF, Middle of Nowhere Fan Fund, has been created to provide financial assistance to fans who live in the "middle of nowhere" in the US or Canada to travel to a North American science fiction convention. The first winner is Terry Hickman of Nebraska. Terry will travel to Baycon and receive $250 cash and hotel accommodations. The prize is given to people who do not live near any large conventions and the convention to which they travel is selected by the winner.

Fire at Indian Space Center
Numerous people were injured and at least six killed when a fire broke out at the Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island, the main launch facility for the Indian space program. An triggered the fire at the center's solid propellant plant. A number of successful satellite launches have taken place at Sriharikota.

Screen Actors Guild Awards
The cast of the "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast and Johnny Depp won the Best Actor award for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl."

Scientists Question Administration Science Integrity
A group of more than 60 scientists, including twenty Nobel Laureates, released a report last week accusing the Bush Administration of systematically distorting scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad. Noting that other administrations have also distorted science for the benefit of their policies, the statement notes that none had done so as "systemically nor on so wide a front" as the current one.

21 February 2004

Speculative Literature Foundation Forms Co-Op
The Speculative Literature Foundation has announced the formation of a small press co-op. The co-op will help small presses within the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres co-operate on projects and exchange useful information. In addition, the co-op will sponsor convention parties with the first such held at Wiscon in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information, contact slf-coop@speculativeliterature.org.

Deep Space Object Found Beyond Pluto
On February 17, the Near Earth Asteroid Tracking survey has discovered a world of ice and rock orbiting the sun 2.4 billion miles beyond Pluto's orbit. Called 2004 DW, it is estimated to have a diameter between 840 and 1800 km. The largest non-planetary object found orbiting the sun was discovered by NEAT in 2002 and named Quaoar. With a maximum size of 1400km, Quaoar may prove to be smaller than 2004 DW. Scientists are scouring photographs from the past few years and have already discovered other images of 2004 DW.

SpecFicWorld Writers Contest
SpecFicWorld.com's Annual Speculative Fiction contest is open to submissions. First prize is $150 plus publication in Rogue Worlds and the Best of Rogue Worlds. Additional cash prizes and publication will also be given. There is a $6 entrance fee for the first story and $2 fee for each additional story. The deadline is March 15, 2004. Full contest rules can be found at http://www.specficworld.com/contest.html.

Shuttles to Resume in 2005
NASA has bumped the resumption of shuttle launches until 2005. Current plans are for Discovery to launch in March 2005. For the first time, a second shuttle will be prepped for launch so Atlantis will be able to be launched on a rescue mission if necessary. Discovery's orbit will also allow the astronauts to dock at the International Space Station if necessary. The shuttle fleet has been grounded since the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed during reentry over Texas on February 1, 2003.

Obituary
Comic book letterer Bill Oakley died of cancer around February 17. Oakley has worked on titles including the JLA, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Transformers.

19 February 2004

Angel Staked
The WB has announced that it will not renew the Joss Whedon series "Angel" after this season. In making the announcement early, the network is allowing Whedon to plan a finale to the series. Although there was speculation that Whedon might try to move "Angel" to UPN, as he did with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Whedon has dismissed the possibility.

Disney Acquires Muppets
Disney, which currently is facing an hostile takeover attempt from Comcast, has announced the acquisition of the Muppets from Jim Henson Productions. Merger discussions began before Henson's sudden 1990 death, but stalled and his children sold the Muppets to German EM-TV in 2000. Henson's children bought the company back in 2003.

Black Hole Destroys Star
Scientists have announced the first strong evidence of a black hole stretching, tearing apart, and swallowing a star. Although this type of event had long been predicted, the discovery of a powerful X-Ray blast from the galaxy J1242-11, located 700 million light years away, has led an international team of astronomers to believe they were witnessing the destruction of a star. They believe the black hole has a mass 100 million times that of the sun and the destroyed star was similar is size to the sun. The black hole consumed between 1% and 25% of the star's mass.

17 February 2004

Nautilius Awards Created
Nominations are now open for the newly created Nautilius Awards, founded to honor the best Polish science fiction of the previous year. The nominees will be announced on April 15 with the winners named at ConQuest in Cracow, the weekend of May 1-3. The awards are being sponsored by Science Fiction Magazine (www.sciencie-fiction.pl).

Kurd Laßwitz Preis Nominations Announced
The Kurd Laßwitz Preis is presented to science fiction works published in Germany during the preceding year. The winners are selected by German SF professionals.

Best German Language Novel:
Frank Böhmert, Die Sternenhorcher
Andreas Eschbach, Der Letzte seiner Art
Markus Heitz, Aeternitas
H.D. Klein, Phainomenon
Reinhard Köhrer, Menschenspuren
André Wiesler, Shelley

Best German Language Short Fiction:
Arno Behrend, "Prägenesis"
Christian Fischer, "Don't Make Me Come Down There"
Björn Jagnow, "Bildschirmarbeitsplatz"
Thorsten Küper, »Radio Orbit«
Florian Marzin, »Palimpsest«
Mario Moritz, »Die letzten Bioform«
Nessun Saprà, »Geschichte vom Fall und Untergang eines Schriftstellers«
Barbara Slawig, »Pakettage«
Angela & Karlheinz Steinmüller, »Vor der Zeitreise«
Angela & Karlheinz Steinmüller, »Das Internetz in den Händen der Arbeiterklasse«

Best Translated Work:
Iain Banks, Blicke windwärts (Look to Windward)
Stephen Baxter, Ursprung (Origin)
John Clute, Sternentanz (Appleseed)
Nancy Farmer, Das Skorpionenhaus (The House of the Scorpion)
China Miéville, König Ratte (King Rat)
Tatjana Tolstaja, Kys
Vernor Vinge, Eine Tiefe am Himmel (A Deepness in the Sky)

Best Translator:
Martin Baresch
Eva Bauche-Eppers
Ingrid Herrmann-Nytko
Hannes Riffel
Erik Simon

Best Illustrator:
Ertugrul Edirne for the cover of Die Ruinen von Acharr
Emmanuel Henné for the cover of Sprecher der Anderen
Frank M. Lewecke for the cover of Butlers Djihad
Franz Miklis for the cover of Mondmysterien
Mario Moritz for the cover of Future World
Oliver Scholl for the cover of Der geheime Krieg
Oliver Scholl for the cover of Perry Rhodan, Andromeda
Thomas Thiemeyer for the cover of Der Asteroidenkrieg
Thomas Thiemeyer for the cover of Hahn

BAFTA Winners Announced
The BAFTA Awards were presented by the British Academy of Film, Television and Arts were awarded on February 15. Below are genre films which were honored.
Best Film: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Best Screenplay (Adapted): "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Best Cinematography: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"
Best Make Up/Hair: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Timberwolf and iBooks Sign Deal
Timberwolf Press and iBooks have announced a publications and distribution agreement. According to the terms of the agreement, iBooks has acquired the rights to publish several Timberwolf Press books as mass market paperbacks.

Wooden Rocket Nominations Open
The nominating process for the second annual Wooden Rocket award to honor excellence in sf on the web has begun. This year, awards will be presented in seventeen categories. Anyone may nominate or vote in the process, which is described at http://www.WoodenRocket.com. This year's awards will be presented in the following categories: Best Online Magazine, Best Print-to-Web Magazine, Best Author Web Site, Best Artist Web Site, Best Gallery Web Site, Best Print Publisher Web Site, Best E-book Publisher Web Site, Best E-book Web Site, Best Official Movie Web Site, Best Fan Movie Web Site, Best Official TV Web Site, Best Fan TV Web Site, Best Online SFF store, Best Fan Web Site Home Page, Best Directory Web Site, Best Convention/Society Web Site, Best Foreign Language Web Site. The awards will be presented in July.

Crystal Moon at the Heart of Star
Astronomers have announced that they have discovered a crystal the size of the Earth's Moon at the heart of a pulsating white dwarf, BPM 37093, the only known pulsating white dwarf in the Milky Way. Scientists believe the discovery may help create more accurate estimates of the age of the Milky Way.

13 February 2004

The 30th Annual Saturn Award Nominations
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has announced this year's nominees for the Saturn Awards. The awards honor excellence in science fiction and fantasy film and television.

Best Science Fiction Film:
The Hulk
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle Of Life
The Matrix Revolutions
Paycheck
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines
X2: X-Men United

Best Fantasy Film:
Big Fish
Freaky Friday
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King Peter Pan
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Best Horror Film:
Cabin Fever
Final Destination 2
Freddy Vs. Jason
Jeepers Creepers 2
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
28 Days Later
Underworld

Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film:
Cold Mountain
Identity
The Italian Job
Kill Bill, Vol. 1
The Last Samurai
The Missing

Best Animated Film:
Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
Looney Tunes: Back In Action
Sinbad: Legend Of The Seven Seas

Best Actor:
Tom Cruise (The Last Samurai)
Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Albert Finney (Big Fish)
Crispin Glover (Willard)
Viggo Mortensen (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Elijah Wood (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)

Best Actress:
Kate Beckinsale (Underworld)
Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Cate Blanchett (The Missing)
Jennifer Connelly (The Hulk)
Jamie Lee Curtis (Freaky Friday)
Uma Thurman (Kill Bill, Vol. 1)

Best Supporting Actor:
Sean Astin (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill, Vol. 1)
Ian McKellen (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Geoffrey Rush (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Andy Serkis (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Ken Watanabe (The Last Samurai)

Best Supporting Actress:
Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Nemo)
Keira Knightley (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Lucy Liu (Kill Bill, Vol. 1)
Kristanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines)
Miranda Otto (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Peta Wilson (The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen)

Best Performance By A Younger Actor:
Jenna Boyd (The Missing)
Rachel Hurd-Wood (Peter Pan)
Sosuke Ikematsu (The Last Samurai)
Lindsay Lohan (Freaky Friday)
Frankie Muniz (Agent Cody Banks)
Jeremy Sumpter (Peter Pan)

Best Director:
Danny Boyle (28 Days Later)
Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Bryan Singer (X2: X-Men United)
Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Vol. 1)
Gore Verbinski (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai)

Best Writing:
Alex Garland (28 Days Later)
Heather Hach, Leslie Dixon (Freaky Friday)
Daniel Harris, Michael Dougherty (X2: X-Men United)
Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds (Finding Nemo)
Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill, Vol. 1)
Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)

Best Music:
Klaus Badelt (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Danny Elfman (The Hulk)
Jerry Goldsmith (Looney Tunes: Back In Action)
Thomas Newman (Finding Nemo)
John Ottman (X2: X-Men United)
Howard Shore (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)

Best Costume:
Kym Barrett (The Matrix Revolutions)
Ngila Dickson, and Richard Taylor (The Lord Of the Rings: The Return Of The King)
Louise Mingenbach (X2: X-Men United)
Janet Patterson (Peter Pan)
Penny Rose (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Jacqueline West (The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen)

Best Make Up:
Rick Baker, Bill Corso, and Robin Luce (The Haunted Mansion)
Jeff Dawn, John Rosengrant (Terminator 3: Rise Of the Machines)
Ve Neill and Martin Samuel (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Trefor Proud, Balazs Novak (Underworld)
Richard Taylor, and Peter King (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)
Gordon Smith (X2: X-Men United)

Best Special Effects:
Mike Fink, Richard Hollander, Stephen Rosenbaum & Mike Verzina (X2: X-Men United)
John Gaeta, Kim Libreri, George Murphy, & Craig Hayes (The Matrix Revolutions)
Pablo Helman, Dan Taylor, Allen Hall, & John Rosengrant (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines)
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Terry D. Frazee & Charles Gibson (Pirates Of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl)
Dennis Muren, Ed Hirsh, Colin Brady, & Michael Lantieri (The Hulk)
Jim Rygiel, Joe Letteri, Randall William Cook, & Alex Funke (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King)

Best Network Television Series:
Alias
Angel
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Smallville
Star Trek: Enterprise

Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series:
Andromeda
Carnivale
Dead Like Me
The Dead Zone
Farscape
Stargate SG-1

Best Television Presentation:
Battlestar Galactica
Children Of Dune
The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer
Dreamkeeper
Riverworld
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Best Actor In A Television Series:
Richard Dean Anderson (Stargate SG-1)
Scott Bakula (Star Trek: Enterprise)
David Boreanaz (Angel)
Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1)
Michael Vartan (Alias)
Tom Welling (Smallville)

Best Actress In A Television Series:
Eliza Dushku (Tru Calling)
Jennifer Garner (Alias)
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)
Kristin Kreuk (Smallville)
Ellen Muth (Dead Like Me)
Amber Tamblyn (Joan Of Arcadia)

Best Supporting Actor In A Television Series:
Alexis Denisof (Angel)
Victor Garber (Alias)
John Glover (Smallville)
James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel)
Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville)
Nick Stahl (Canivale)

Best Supporting Actress In A Television Series:
Amy Acker(Angel)
Jolene Blalock (Star Trek: Enterprise)
Charisma Carpenter (Angel)
Victoria Pratt (Mutant X)
Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica)
Amanda Tapping(Stargate SG-1)

Best DVD Release:
Anatomy 2
Bionicle – Mask Of Light
The Hitcher 2
Interstate 60
May
Millennium Actress

Best DVD Special Edition Release:
Black Hawk Down
Finding Nemo
Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Identity
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (The Extended Cut)
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl

Best DVD Classic Film Release:
The Adventures Of Robin Hood
Dead Of Night
The Lion King
Once Upon A Time In The West
Road Games
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

Best DVD Collection:
The Adventures Of Indiana Jones DVD Collection
Alien Quadrilogy
Jack Ryan Special Edition DVD Collection
Lon Chaney Collection
Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection 2 – 4
X-Men Collection

Best DVD Television Release:
Battlestar Galactica Complete Epic Series
The Complete Firefly
Hercules: The Legendary Adventures 1 – 2
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 1 – 7
Steven Spielberg Presents Taken
Wiseguy, Season 1, Part 1 – 2

The Lifetime Achievement Award: John Williams
The Life Career Award: Blake Edwards
The George Pal Memorial Award: Ridley Scott
The Dr. Donald A. Reed Award: Gale Anne Hurd
The Visionary Award: Paul G. Allen
The Filmmakers Showcase Award: Eli Roth

12 February 2004

Small Beer Matches Royalty Donation
Benjamin Rosenbaum asked his publisher, Small Beer Press, to donate all royalties from his book Other Cities to the Grameen Foundation, a microcredit bank. Small Beer is matching Rosenbaum's donation and sending a check for a total of $625 to the Grameen Foundation. Other Cities was published in 2003.

Final Nebula Ballot Announced
The final Nebula Award Ballot has been announced by the SFWA. The winners will be announced at the Nebula Awards Weekend in Seattle, Washington on April 17. The Nebula Awards Banquet is open to anyone. Information on the weekend can be found at http://www.sfwa.org/awards/2004/index.html.

Novels
Diplomatic Immunity, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Mount, by Carol Emshwiller
Light Music, by Kathleen Ann Goonan
The Salt Roads, by Nalo Hopkinson
Chindi, by Jack McDevitt
The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon

Novellas
"Potter of Bones", by Eleanor Arnason
"The Empress of Mars", by Kage Baker
"Coraline", by Neil Gaiman
"Stories for Men", by John Kessel
"Breathmoss", by Ian MacLeod

Novelettes
"Mask of the Rex", by Richard Bowes
"Of a Sweet Slow Dance in the Wake of Temporary Dogs", by Adam-Troy Castro
"0wnz0red", by Cory Doctorow
"The Empire of Ice Cream", by Jeffrey Ford
"The Wages of Syntax", by Ray Vukcevich

Short Stories
"Knapsack Poems", by Eleanor Arnason
"The Brief History of the Dead", by Kevin Brockmeier
"Goodbye to All That", by Harlan Ellison
"Grandma", by Carol Emshwiller
"What I Didn't See", by Karen Joy Fowler
"Lambing Season", by Molly Gloss
"The Last of the O-Forms", by James Van Pelt

Scripts
"Finding Nemo", Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds
"Minority Report", by Scott Frank and John Cohen
"Spirited Away", Hayao Miyazaki and Cindy Davis Hewitt & Donald H. Hewitt
"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", Fran Walsh & Philippa Bowens & Stephen Sinclair & Peter Jackson
"Where No Fan Has Gone Before", by David A. Goodman (Futurama)

Experience Science Fiction Director Named
Experience Science Fiction, the SF museum slated to open in Seattle later this year, has announced that Donna Shirley has joined the enterprise as its director. Ms. Shirley will oversee the creative, programs and operations teams at the museum. She has been an SF fan since she was eleven and has more than 40 years of experience in aerospace and civil systems engineering. In 1998he retired from a 32 year career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she managed the Mars Exploration Program.

Battlestar Galactica Miniseries
The Sci-Fi Channel has approved a series based on Battlestar Galactica. The series will pick up with the miniseries which aired in December left off. Sci-Fi Channel has ordered a first season of thirteen episodes. The series will star Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff and Tricia Helfer. Although the series will mostly be original episodes, some of the episodes from the original series may be revisited.

Abyss & Apex Editorial Changes
Leah Bobet and Kathryn Allen have resigned from their editorial positions at the webzine Abyss & Apex. Publisher Carol Burrell is fulfilling their former duties at the present time.

11 February 2004

Appeals Court Rules for Ellison
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled against a lower court's summary judgment dismissal of Harlan Ellison's lawsuit against AOL for copyright infringement following the posting of several of Ellison's copyrighted works to Usenet in 2000. The judgment remands for trial the claim of contributory copyright infringement although it supports the previous court in other aspects of the case.

10 February 2004

Star Wars on DVD
LucasFilms has announced that the original three Star Wars films, "Star Wars: A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" will be released in a four-DVD Special Edition on September 21. This will be the first DVD release for the films, which will only be available as the complete set. The films will be the extended versions rather than the original theatrical releases.

Grammy Awards
Howard Shore won a Grammy Award for composing in the Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media category for his work on "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."

Annie Awards Announced
The Annie Awards were presented on February 7 in Glendale, California. The Annie Awards celebrate the best in animation from the previous year.
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature: "Finding Nemo" - Pixar Animation Studios
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Entertainment Production: • "The Animatrix" - Silver Pictures/Warner Home Video
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Short Subject: "Boundin" - Pixar Animation Studios
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Commercial: Lamisil: "It's Alive" - Wild Brain Inc.
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production: "The Simpsons" - Gracie Films
Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced For Children: "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius" - Nickelodeon & DNA Productions
Character Animation: Doug Sweetland "Finding Nemo"
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production: Ricky Nierva "Finding Nemo"
Character Design in an Animated Television Production: Andy Suriano "Samurai Jack - Episode XXXV"
Directing in an Animated Feature Production: Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich "Finding Nemo"
Directing in an Animated Television Production: Steven Dean Moore - The Simpsons: "'Scuse Me While I Miss The Sky"
Effects Animation: Martin Nguyen - "Finding Nemo"
Music in an Animated Feature Production: Thomas Newman "Finding Nemo"
Music in an Animated Television Production: Alf Clausen, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Ken Keeler - The Simpsons - "Dude, Where's My Ranch?"
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production: Ralph Eggleston - "Finding Nemo"
Production Design in an Animated Television Production: Scott Wills - "Samurai Jack - The Birth of Evil"
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production: Sharon Forward - "The Jungle Book 2"
Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production: Dave Thomas - "The Fairly OddParents - Pipe Down"
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Ellen DeGeneres as the voice of Dory - "Finding Nemo"
Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production: Jeff Garcia as the voice of Sheen Estevez - "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron - Nightmare in Retroville"
Writing in an Animated Feature Production: Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, Dave Reynolds - "Finding Nemo"
Writing in an Animated Television Production: Matt Warburton - "The Simpsons - Three Gays of the Condo"
June Foray Award - For significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation: Martha Sigall
Winsor McCay Award - Recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation: Gene Deitch, John Hench, Thurl Ravenscroft
Ub Iwerks Award: Scott Johnston
Certificate of Merit: David Derks, Mike Judge/Don Hertzfeldt (Team)

8 February 2004

Jackson Wins DGA
Peter Jackson won the Director's Guild of America Award on February 7 for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Many in Hollywood see the Director's Guild Award as a precursor to the Oscar for best director. The DGA winner has only lost the Academy Award six times since 1949.

Obituaries
Author Donald Barr (b. 1921) died on February 5 from a lung infection while in the hospital in preparation for quadruple heart bypass. Barr published stories in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1989 and 2002.

Julius Schwartz (b.1915) died on February 8, 2004. Mr. Schwartz was most closely associated with DC Comics and Superman, but he also co-edited the early fanzine The Time Traveller (sic) and was the first literary agent to specialize in science fiction. He helped organize the first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939. While working for DC in the 1950s, he reintroduced many of the Golden Age heroes who had fallen out of favor, including Flash and Green Lantern. Mr. Schwartz had recently been injured in a fall.

6 February 2004

Luna Writing Round Robin
Luna Publishing, which has just launched a new line of romance fantasy novels, is sponsoring a round robin story writing circle. The first section, written by Mercedes Lackey, has been posted and the second section will be posted on February 20. The story and rules can be found at http://www.electricartists.com/luna/circle/.

International Horror Guild Nominations
The International Horror Guild has announced the nominations for this year's award. For the first time, two men have received the Living Legends Award. In addition, a Special Award is being given posthumously to Jack Cady, who died on January 14. The date and location of the award presentation has not yet been announced.

Novel:
The Good House, by Tananarive Due
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, by Stephen King
The Night Country, by Stewart O'Nan
Crawlers, by John Shirley
lostboy lostgirl, by Peter Straub
The Book of Days, by Steve Rasnic Tem

First Novel:
The Etched City, by K.J. Bishop
Jinn, by Matthew B.J. Delaney
Tropic of Night, by Michael Gruber
The Dante Club, by Matthew Pearl
Echo & Narcissus, by Mark Siegal
Veniss Underground, by Jeff VanderMeer

Collection:
Told, by The Dead, by Ramsey Campbell
Bibliomancy, by Elizabeth Hand
The Two Sams: Ghost Stories, by Glen Hirshberg
GRRM: A RRetrospective, by George R.R. Martin
The Dreams of Cardinal Vittorini, by Reggie Oliver
More Tomorrow & Other Stories, by Michael Marshall Smith

Anthology:
Gathering the Bones, edited by Ramsey Campbell, Jack Dann and Dennis Etchison
Southern Blood: New Australian Tales of the Supernatural, edited by Bill Congreve
The Dark: New Ghost Stories, edited by Ellen Datlow
By Moonlight Only, edited by Stephen Jones
Borderlands 5, edited by Elizabeth and Thomas Monteleone
The Thackery T Lambshead Pocket Guide to Eccentric & Discredited Diseases, edited by Jeff VanderMeer and Mark Roberts

Long Fiction:
The Time That Time Forgot, by Jack Cady
Rape: A Love Story, by Joyce Carol Oates
Rock Breaks Scissors Cut, by David Schow
Louisiana Breakdown, by Lucius Shepard
Floater, by Lucius Shepard

Medium Fiction:
The Census Taker, by Dale Bailey
Dancing Men, by Glen Hirshberg
Vandoise and the Bone Monster, by Alex Irvine
The Last Horror Show, by David Prill
La Sentinelle, by Lucy Sussex

Short Fiction:
Old Virginia, by Laird Barron
The Trentino Kid, by Jeffery Ford
With Acknowledgments to Sun Tzu, by Brian Hodge
Cell Call, by Marc Laidlaw
The Bereavement Photographer, by Steve Rasnic Tem
The Goddess of Cruelty, by Thomas Tessier
The Mezzotint, by Lisa Tuttle

Periodical:
All Hallows: The Journal of the Ghost Story Society
Cemetery Dance
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
The 3rd Alternative
Video Watchdog

Illustrated Narrative:
Endless Nights: The Sandman, Book 11, words, by Neil Gaiman; art, by Glenn Fabry, Milo Manara, Miguelanxo Prado, Frank Quitely, P. Craig Russell, Bill Sienkiewicz, Barron Storey
The Wolves in the Walls, words, by Neil Gaiman; art, by Dave McKean
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II, words, by Alan Moore; art, by Kevin O'Neil
Dark Days (Six Issue Mini-Series), words, by Steve Niles; art, by Ben Templesmith
The Goon, Issues 1-4, words and art, by Eric Powell

Non-Fiction:
H.P. Lovecraft: Selected Letters to Alfred Galpin, edited by S.T. Joshi and David E. Schultz
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, by Erik Larson
Hollywood's Stephen King, by Tony Magistrale
Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Jess Nevins
The Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith, edited by David E. Schultz and Scott Connors

Art:
Caniglia
Dave McKean
"Edward Miller" (AKA Les Edwards)
Todd Schorr
Bernie Wrightson

Film:
28 Days Later, directed, by Danny Boyle, screenplay, by Alex Garland
Bubba Ho-Tep, directed, by Don Coscarelli, screenplay, by Don Coscarelli, based on a story, by Joe R. Lansdale
Identity, directed, by James Mangold, screenplay, by Michael Cooney Monster, directed, by Patty Jenkins, screenplay, by Patty Jenkins
Mystic River, directed, by Clint Eastwood, screenplay, by Brian Helgeland, based on a novel, by Dennis Lehane
Spider, directed, by David Cronenberg, screenplay, by Patrick McGrath, based on his novel

Television:
Angel, created, by Joss Whedon
Carnivale, created, by Daniel Knauf
Dead Like Me, created, by Bryan Fuller
Six Feet Under, created, by Alan Bell
The Dead Zone, created, by Michael Piller and Shawn Piller

Living Legends:
Stephen King
Everett F. Bleiler

Special Award:
Jack Cady

3 February 2004

Marvel Sues Sony - Again
While last year Marvel Entertainment sued Sony pictures over the film "Spider-Man," the comics giant is now suing Sony claiming that the filmmaker has not given an accurate accounting of royalties for the two "Men in Black" films. The suit claims Sony failed to report revenue from merchandising agreements based on the films.

Exorcist Theme Park to Open in Iraq
Army Captain Nik Guran plans to open a tourist attraction outside the Iraq city of Hatra after discovering the site where the opening sequence to the 1972 film "The Exorcist" was filmed. Guran has received a grant of $5,000 from the US Army and has used local labor to build a parking lot and to renovate a local hotel. The "Exorcist Experience" is scheduled to open later this year with visits from the film's director William Friedkin and the book's author William Peter Blatty.

How's the Weather on Osiris?
The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that Osiris (aka HD 209458), in orbit 150 light years away in Pegasus, has an atmosphere comprised of Oxygen, Carbon and Hydrogen. However the planet's atmosphere appears to be dissipating due to the planet's extreme temperature (estimated at 10,000°F in the upper reaches of the atmosphere and 1800° at the surface). Osiris orbits its primary in approximately 84 hours at a distance of only 4.3 million miles. This is the first time Carbon and Oxygen have been detected in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet.

2 February 2004

BSFA Shortlist Announced
The British Science Fiction Association has announced the shortlist for the BSFA Awards, to be presented at Concourse on April 11. The award is presented to excellence in science fiction published in Britain.

Best Novel:
Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson
Felaheen, by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Midnight Lamp, by Gwyneth Jones
Absolution Gap, by Alastair Reynolds
Natural History, by Justina Robson
Maul, by Tricia Sullivan

Best Short Fiction:
"Dear Abbey," by Terry Bisson
"The Wolves in the Walls," by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean
"Swastika Bomb," by John Meaney
"Birth Days," by Geoff Ryman
"Nightfall," by Charles Stross

Best Artwork:
Cover of John Clute's collection Scores: Reviews 1993-2003, by Judith Clute
Cover of Philip Reeve's novel Predator's Gold, by David Frankland
Cover of Tricia Sullivan's novel Maul, by Lee Gibbons
Cover of The True Knowledge of Ken MacLeod, by Colin Odell
Cover of Justina Robson's novel Natural History, by Steve Stone

Best Non-Fiction:
"Nothing is Written: Politics, Ideology and the Burden of History in the Fall Revolution Quartet" by John H Arnold & Andy Wood
"The Profession of Science Fiction #58: Mapping the Territory," by Mike Ashley
"Reading Science Fiction" by Farah Mendlesohn
"A Sick Mind" by Cheryl Morgan
Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams, by M J Simpson

Arthur C. Clarke Shortlist
The Arthur C. Clarke Award, which is facing a location change in the face of mounting costs from the science museum where the award has been presented in the past, have announced the shortlist for this year's award for science fiction.
Coalescent, by Stephen Baxter
Darwin's Children, by Greg Bear
Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson
Midnight Lamp, by Gwyneth Jones
Quicksilver, by Neal Stevenson
Maul, by Tricia Sullivan

Obituary
Filmmaker Andrew J. Kuehn (b.1938) died on January 29. Although his name was not well-known, Kuehn created trailers for such genre films as "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial," the Indiana Jones films, "Jurassic Park: The Lost World," "Star Wars" and "Aliens." Kuehn may have been best known for coining the phrase "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water" for the film "Jaws 2."