30 December 2004

Tom Howard Award
Tom Howard has announced the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Short Story Contest. The contest is open to any type of short story up to 8,000 words and carries prizes of $1,000, $500, $25, plus four Publication Royalty Awards of $150 and three Encouragement Awards of $75 each. The contest has a $10 entry fee. For more information, go to http://www.winningwriters.com/tomstory.htm.

Tsunami Touches Genre Actors
Action film star Jet Li was in the Maldives when the Tsunami hit on December 26, however he and his daughter were only slightly injured.

Actor Richard Attenborough, who appeared in "Jurassic Park" and "Doctor Doolittle," lost his 14 year old daughter, Jane Holland, in the disaster. The tsunami is believed to have killed more than 140,000 people around the Indian Ocean rim.

Obituary
Actor Jerry Orbach (b.1935) died on December 28. Orbach had a long career on Broadway, Hollywood and on television. He provided the voice of Lumiere, the candelabra, in the Disney film "Beauty and the Beast" and subsequent cartoons. He also appeared in "A Gnome Named Gnorm" and a voice in the "Galaxy Rangers" television series. Earlier this year, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

27 December 2004

Clarke Fine
Arthur C. Clarke has reported that he is fine in the wake of the tsunami that struck Sri Lanka and other coastal areas along the Indian Ocean. The tsunami was caused by a 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and has resulted in an estimated 20,000 deaths.

Locke Ill
Fan David Locke suffered a heart attack on the evening of December 23. On December 24, his wife called 911 and he has been on a ventilator since then and in an induced coma. Initial prognosis is not good.

Fountain Award Nominees Solicited
The Speculative Fiction Foundation is looking for nominations for the second annual Fountain Award, with a prize of $1000 given to a short story of exceptional literary quality. Work must have been published in 2004 and the nominations, which are not limited to genre publications, must be received by February 1.

Obituary
Scots bookdealer and SF collector Douglas Mason (b.1941) died on December 13 following a long illness and a brain tumor. Mason was a Conservative politician who is seen as responsible for the UK poll tax. His collection has been acquired by the London Fantasy Centre.

22 December 2004

Magazine on Hiatus
The magazine that would not die, Amazing Stories, will be going on hiatus following the 608th issue in February 2005 (street date: January 4). According to editor-in-chief Jeff Berkwits, the hiatus is in part the result the successful reception the magazine has received, which has provided it with opportunities to potentially expand. During the hiatus, the publisher will be determining how to best approach these opportunities.

Editor Sought
John Frost has announced his retirement as the editor of the Internet Review of Science Fiction. Bluejack reports that they have several qualified candidates and will be making an announcement of a new editor in chief in the near future.

Marriage
Minneapolis Fans Laura Jean and David Schroth were married on December 21.

Obituary
Chicago fan Paulette DeRock died on December 21 from a blood clot in her heart. DeRock was a longtime logistics and operations worker at Windycon. She worked with volunteers at Chicon 2000.

21 December 2004

DUFF Nominations Open
Guy Lillian has announced that the nominating window for DUFF 2005 is now open. DUFF (The Down Under Fan Fund) will send a North American fan to the Australian National SF Convention June 10-13 in Hobart, Tasmania. Nominees need three American nominators and two Australian/New Zealand nominators. The deadline for nominations is February 15. More information at http://DUFF2005.blogspot.com.

Potter Release Date
Bloomsbury has announced that the next Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, will be released worldwide on July 16, 2005.

Obituary
Futurist W. Warren Wagar (b.1932) died on November 16. Wagar was known in the field for his studies of H.G. Wells, the most recent of which, H.G. Wells: Traversing Time, was published this year. In 1989, he published A Short History of the Future, which was a narrative account of the imagined events of the next 200 years. In the mid-1980s, he published about eight stories in IASFM, F&SF, and Synergy.

19 December 2004

Aurealis Nominations
The nominations for the Australian Aurealis Awards, run by Fantastic Queensland, have been announced. The awards will be presented on January 22 at Ian Hanger Recital Hall, Queensland Conservatorium of Music, South Bank, Brisbane. Two new awards will be presented this year, the Golden Aurealis for novel and for short story. The Golden Aurealis will be presented to one work in each category among the Aurealis winners.

Science Fiction Short Story
"Absolution," by Barbara Robson (ASIM, 15)
"Bush of Ghosts," by Geoffrey Maloney (Tales from the Crypto-System, Prime Books)
"Come to Daddy," by Brendan Duffy (AGOG! Smashing Stories)
"Desiree," by Stephen Dedman (Oceans of the Mind, 10)
"Home by the Sea," by Cat Sparks (ORB, 6)

Science Fiction Novel
Orbital Burn, by KA Bedford
The Rebel, by Jack Dann
Nylon Angel, by Marianne de Pierres
Less than Human, by Maxine McArthur
Heirs of Earth, by Sean Williams & Shane Dix

Fantasy Short Story
"Tales of Nireym," by Lee Battersby (ORB 6)
"Weavers of Twilight," by Louise Katz (AGOG! Smashing Stories)
"Alsisio," by K.J. Bishop (The Alsisio Project)
"The Gift of Hindsight," by Paul Haines (Aurealis 32)
"Catabolic Magic," by Richard Harland (Aurealis 32)

Fantasy Novel
Brilliance of the Moon, by Lian Hearn
Tainted, by Glenda Larke
Snow, Fire, Sword, by Sophie Masson
Giants of the Frost, by Kim Wilkins
The Crooked Letter, by Sean Williams

Horror Short Story
"Twilight of the Idols," by Stephen Dedman (Conqueror Fantastic)
"The Last Days of Kali," by Yuga P Haines (NFG, 14)
"Kathleen, Furnished with Bees," by Alicia Thornton (Dark Animus, 5)
"The Border," by Richard Harland (AGOG, Smashing Stories)

Horror Novel
The Black Crusade, by Richard Harland
Fire in the Shell, by S Pennicott
Giants of the Frost, by Kim Wilkins

Young Adult Short Story
"The Glass Flower," by Chris Barnes (Encounters, CSFG Publishing)
"The Shooter at Heartrock Waterhole," by Bill Congreve (The Faery Reel, Viking)
"Singng my Sister Down," by Margo Lanagan (Black Juice, Allen & Unwin)
"Rite of Spring," by Margo Lanagan (Black Juice, Allen & Unwin)

Young Adult Novel
Midnighters 1: The Secret Hour, by Scott Westerfield
Hot Nights, Cool Dragons, by Matt Zurbo
Undine, by Penny Russon
Flesh & Blood, by Jackie French

Children Short Story
"Beneath the Surface," by Gary Crew & Stephen Woolman
"The Boy, the Bear, the Baron and the Bard," by Gregory Rogers
"Emily Eyefinger and the Ghost Ship," by Duncan Ball
"The Very Messy Inspection," by Stephen Axelson
"There was a boy called Tashi," by Anna Fienberg & Barbara Fienberg

Children Novel
Snow Fire Sword, by Sophie Masson
How To Live Forever, by Colin Thompson
The Pearl of Tiger Bay, by Gabriel Wang
Ranger's Apprentice, by John Flanagan
Claire de Lune, by Cassandra Golds

17 December 2004

Jack Chalker Ill
Author Jack Chalker went into the hospital on December 7 with congestive heart failure. Chalker's condition has been relatively stable and he may require surgery for a "trach" and gastric bypass surgery.

Ministry of Whimsy Hiatus
Jeff Vandermeer has announced that effective January 1, 2005, the Ministry of Whimsy's association with Night Shade Books will end and the press will go on hiatus for the foreseeable future. Ministry of Whimsy and Night Shade reached an amicable parting of the ways. In addition, Vandermeer and his wife, Ann will edit Leviathan 5. Former co-editor Forrest Aguirre has left the project to focus on his own anthology series and a stand-alone anthology.

Baltimore Science Fiction Society Case Dismissed
The Court of Appeals of Maryland reversed the Circuit Court for Baltimore City and found that the club is entitled to an exemption from property taxes for its building.

Space Elevator Contest
The European Space Agency has announced the 2005 Clarke-Bradbury International Science Fiction competition. For the competition, the ESA's Innovative Technologies from Science Fiction for Space Applications project is accepting short stories and artwork which incorporates or depicts a space elevator in some way. The competition is open to members of all nations, with a submission deadline of February 25, 2005. Winners and runners-up in each category will receive $600 and $300 respectively, with winning entries appearing in an upcoming book on the space elevator

Critics Choice Nominations
The Broadcast Film Critics Association has announced the nominees for the Critics Choice Awards, to be announced on January 10. Categories with nominees of genre interest are listed below.

Best Picture:
The Aviator
Collateral
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
Kinsey
Million Dollar Baby
The Phantom of the Opera
Ray
Sideways

Best Actor:
Javier Bardem - The Sea Inside
Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp - Finding Neverland
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Aviator
Jamie Foxx - Ray
Paul Giamatti - Sideways

Best Actress:
Annette Bening - Being Julia
Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full of Grace
Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Volume 2
Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Best Supporting Actress:
Cate Blanchett - The Aviator
Laura Linney - Kinsey
Virginia Madsen - Sideways
Natalie Portman - Closer
Kate Winslet - Finding Neverland

Best Director:
Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
Marc Forster - Finding Neverland
Taylor Hackford - Ray
Alexander Payne - Sideways
Martin Scorsese - The Aviator

Best Writer:
Bill Condon - Kinsey
Charlie Kaufman - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
John Logan - The Aviator
David Magee - Finding Neverland
Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor - Sideways

Best Animated Feature:
The Incredibles
The Polar Express
Shrek 2

Best Young Actor:
Liam Aiken - Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Cameron Bright - Birth
Freddie Highmore - Finding Neverland
Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
William Ullrich - Beyond The Sea

Best Young Actress:
Emily Browning - Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Dakota Fanning - Man on Fire
Lindsay Lohan - Mean Girls
Emmy Rossum - The Phantom of the Opera
Emma Watson - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Best Popular Movie:
The Bourne Supremacy
The Incredibles
Napoleon Dynamite
The Passion of the Christ
Spider-Man 2

Best Family Film (live action):
Finding Neverland
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Miracle
Spider-Man 2

Best Song:
"Accidentally in Love", Counting Crows - Shrek 2
"Believe", Josh Groban - The Polar Express
"Old Habits Die Hard", Mick Jagger and Dave Stewart - Alfie

Best Composer:
Michael Giacchino - The Incredibles
Rolfe Kent - Sideways
Howard Shore - The Aviator

Obituary
Thomas Scott Winnett (b.1962) died on December 12 in Corpus Christi, Texas of pneumonia. Winnett was a book reviewer for Locus from 1989 to 1994.

13 December 2004

NASA Administrator Resigns
Sean O'Keefe has announced his resignation as administrator of NASA following three years in the position. O'Keefe was the head of NASA at the time of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia on February 1, 2003. O'Keefe is the leading contender for the position of Chancellor of Louisiana State University.

Return of the King: Extended Edition on Big Screen
Chicago Fellowship has announced plans for a screening of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Extended Edition" on the big screen at the Loews Cineplex on January 3 at 6:00. Tickets will cost $20 with a portion of the proceeds going to Reading Is Fundamental and Chicago area food banks. A raffle will also be held. Reservations may be made via http://home.earthlink.net/~chicagofellowship/rotkeeviewing.htm

Construction in KC
Kansas City will be hosting Midwest Construction IV, a convention dedicated to running local and regional science fiction conventions. The convention will take place from September 16-18, 2005 at the Sheraton Suites Country Club Plaza. Membership is $40 until February 28. More information at http://www.midamericon.org/mwc4.htm.

Golden Globe Nominations Announced
The nominations for the Golden Globe Awards have been announced. Categories with works of genre interest have been listed below. The awards will be presented on January 15, 2005.

Best Motion Picture – Drama:
The Aviator
Closer
Finding Neverland
Hotel Rwanda
Kinsey
Million Dollar Baby

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture – Drama
Scarlett Johansson A Love Song For Bobby Long
Nicole Kidman Birth
Imelda Staunton Vera Drake
Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby
Uma Thurman Kill Bill Vol. 2

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture - Drama
Javier Bardem The Sea Inside
Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda
Johnny Depp Finding Neverland
Leonardo Dicaprio The Aviator
Liam Neeson Kinsey

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
The Incredibles
Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera
Ray
Sideways

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Annette Bening Being Julia
Ashley Judd De-Lovely
Emmy Rossum Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera
Kate Winslet Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Renee Zellweger Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture -Musical Or Comedy
Jim Carrey Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Jamie Foxx Ray
Paul Giamatti Sideways
Kevin Kline De-Lovely
Kevin Spacey Beyond The Sea

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett The Aviator
Laura Linney Kinsey
Virginia Madsen Sideways
Natalie Portman Closer
Meryl Streep The Manchurian Candidate

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
David Carradine Kill Bill Vol. 2
Thomas Haden Church Sideways
Jamie Foxx Collateral
Morgan Freeman Million Dollar Baby
Clive Owen Closer

Best Director - Motion Picture
Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby
Marc Forster Finding Neverland
Mike Nichols Closer
Alexander Payne Sideways
Martin Scorsese The Aviator

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Charlie Kaufman Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
John Logan The Aviator
David Magee Finding Neverland
Patrick Marber Closer
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor Sideways

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Clint Eastwood Million Dollar Baby
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek Finding Neverland
Rolfe Kent Sideways
Howard Shore The Aviator
Hans Zimmer Spanglish

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Accidentally In Love" –- Shrek 2
"Believe" — The Polar Express
"Learn To Be Lonely" — Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom Of The Opera
"Million Voices" — Hotel Rwanda
"Old Habits Die Hard" — Alfie

Obituary
Actor Don Briscoe (b.1940) died on October 31 from heart disease. Briscoe was best known for his role on "Dark Shadows," where he portrayed Tom Jennings, Chris Jennings, Tim Shaw, Chris Collins, and Todd Blake. He also appeared on the soap opera "Days of our Lives" and as a guest star on "I Dream of Jeannie." He left Hollywood in the early seventies after suffering a breakdown, although he continued to act in local theatre until the 1980s.

10 December 2004

Annie Nominations
The Annie nominations for animated work have been announced. The awards, given by ASIFA-Hollywood, will be presented on January 30, 2005.

Best Animated Feature
"Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence" - Go Fish Pictures
"The Incredibles" - Pixar Animation Studios
"Shrek 2" - DreamWorks Animation
"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" - Peanut Worm Productions

Best Home Entertainment Production
"The Lion King 1 ½" - DisneyToon Studios
"Mickey, Donald & Goofy "The Three Musketeers" - DisneyToon Studios
"Scooby-Doo and the Loch Ness Monster" - Warner Bros. Animation

Best Animated Short Subject
"Agricultural Report" - Barley Films
"It's 'The Cat'" - Mark Kausler
"Lorenzo" - Walt Disney Pictures
"Rockfish" - Blur Studio
Ryan/Copper Heart Entertainment - Nat'l Film Board of Canada

Best Animated Television Commercial
Looney Tunes AFLAC - Warner Bros. Animation
Nintendo Freeboy - Asylum Quaker
Chewy Bars Three Bears - Hornet Inc.
Reebok - Blur Studio
United Airlines Interview - Acme Filmworks

Best Animated Television Production
"Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" - Cartoon Network Studios
"My Life As A Teenage Robot" - Frederator/Nickelodeon
"SpongeBob SquarePants" - Nickelodeon
"Star Wars: The Clone Wars" - Cartoon Network Studios
"The Batman" - Warner Bros. Animation

Animated Effects
Scott Cegielski - "Shark Tale"
Hisashi Ezura - "Ghost In The Shell 2"
Matt Hausman - "The Polar Express"
Martin Nguyen - "The Incredibles"
Jonathon Gibbs - Shrek 2

Character Animation
Ken Duncan - "Shark Tale"
John Kahrs - "The Incredibles"
Angus MacLane - "The Incredibles"
Peter Sohn - "The Incredibles"
Kureha Yokoo - "The Incredibles"

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Tony Fucile - "The Incredibles"
Carlos Grangel - "Shark Tale"
Joe Moshier - "Home on the Range"
Teddy Newton - "The Incredibles"

Character Design in an Animated Television Production
Ben Balistreri - The Fairly OddParents "Crash Nebula"
Shakeh Haghnazarian - "Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi"
Patrick Mat'e - "Father of the Pride"
Lynn Naylor-Reccardi/Pilot "House of Bloo's Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
Chris Reccardi - Powerpuff Girls - "West in Pieces"

Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Andrew Adamson, Conrad Vernon & Kelly Ashbury - "Shrek 2"
Brad Bird - "The Incredibles"
Will Finn & John Sanford - "Home on the Range"
Stephen Hillenburg - "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"
Mamoru Oshi - "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence"

Directing in an Animated Television Production
Keith Alcorn - "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius - Love Potion #976/3"
Shaun Cashman & Phil Cummings - "Attack of the Clowns"
Eric Pringle - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends - "Who Let The Dogs In"
Brian Sheesley - "Nursery Crimes"
Genndy Tartakovsky - Samurai Jack - "Tale of X-49"

Music in an Animated Feature Production
Michael Giacchino - "The Incredibles"
Harry Gregson-Williams - "Shrek 2"
Don Harper, Lebo M, Johnny Clegg, Martin Erskine & Seth J. Friedman - "The Lion King 1 1/2"
Kenji Kawai - "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence"
Gregor Narholz - "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie"

Music in an Animated Television Production
Steve D'Angelo & Terry Tompkins - "Peep"
Jeff Danna & Steve Sullivan - "Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends"
Yoko Kanno - "Wolf's Rain"
Robert J. Kral - "Duck Dodgers"

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Lou Romano – "The Incredibles"
Pierre-Olivier Vincent – "Shark Tale"
Samuel Michlap – "Shark Tale"
Armand Balthazar – "Shark Tale"
Scott Fassett – "Winnie the Pooh, Springtime with Roo"

Production Design in an Animated Television Production
Richard Daskas, - Samurai Jack "Season of Death"
Michael Giaimo - Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi "Episode 1"
Alex Kirwan, - "My Life As A Teenage Robot"
John Over - "Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks"
Mark Whiting - "Duck Dodgers"

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Chen-Yi Chang - "Home on the Range"
Ted Mathot - "The Incredibles"
Kevin O'Brien - "The Incredibles"
Chris Otsuki - "Winnie The Pooh: Springtime with Roo"
Conrad Vernon - "Shrek 2"

Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production
Alex Basio - Atomic Betty - "Spindly Tam Kanushu"
Wendy Grieb - Disney's Dave the Barbarian - "The Maddening Sprite of the Stump"
Adam Van Wyk - He Man & The Masters of the Universe - "Awaken the Serpent"
Rossen Varbanov - Disney's Brandy and Mr. Whiskers - "To The Moon, Whiskers"
Matthew Youngberg - Teen Titans - "Haunted"

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Tony Anselmo - Voice of Donald Duck - Mickey, Donald & Goofy "The Three Musketeers"
Antonio Banderas - Voice of Puss in Boots "Shrek 2"
Brad Bird - Voice of Edna Mode "The Incredibles"
Samuel L. Jackson - Voice of Lucius Best/Frozone "The Incredibles"
Rob Paulsen - Voice of The Troubadour - Mickey, Donald & Goofy "The Three Musketeers"

Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
Maile Flanagan - Voice of Piggley Jakers "The Adventures of Piggley Winks"
Carolyn Lawrence - Voice of Cindy Vortex "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius".
Candi Milo - Voice of Mrs. Wakeman "My Life As A Teenage Robot"
Brittany Murphy - Voice of Luane Platter - King of the Hill - "Girl, You'll Be A Giant Soon"
Russi Taylor - Voice of Ferny Jakers "The Adventures of Piggley Winks"

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Andrew Adamson, Joe Stillman, David J. Stern and David N. Weiss - "Shrek 2"
Brad Bird - "The Incredibles"
Michael J. Wilson & Rob Letterman - "Shark Tale"

Writing in an Animated Television Production
Etan Cohen, - King of the Hill "Ceci N'est Pas Une"
Lauren Faust, - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends "World Wide Wabbit"
Evan Gore & Heather Lombard - Disney's Dave the Barbarian - "Ned Frischman: Man of Tomorrow"
Butch Hartman & Steve Marmel - The FairlyOddParents "Channel Chasers"
Brandon Sawyer - Disney's Brandy and Mr. Whiskers "Cyranosaurus Rex"

June Foray Award - Significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation:
Bill Moritz

Winsor McCay Award - Recognition of lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation:
Don Bluth
Virginia Davis
Arnold Stang

Ub Iwerks Award:
Dr. Ed Catmull

Special Achievement:
Disney's "On the Front Lines" DVD

Certificate of Merit:
DreamWorks Animation
Sivert Glarum

Obituaries
Actress Katherine Victor (b.1923) died on October 22 following a stroke. Victor began acting in the early 1950s under the name Katina Vea, as the Spider Woman in "Mesa of Lost Women." She went on to appear in other SF films, including "Teenage Zombies," "The Cape Canaveral Monsters," and "Superguy: Behind the Cape." In addition to acting, she also worked as an animation checker for Filmation, Hanna-Barbera, Disney, and others.

Director/Producer Larry Buchanan (b.1923) died on December 2 following complications from a collapsed lung. Perhaps best known for his low-budget conspiracy films such as "The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald," and "Goodbye, Norma Jean," he also made several genre films, including "Mars Needs Woman," "Curse of the Swamp Creature," and "Zontar, the Thing from Venus." At the time of his death, he was in post-production on the film "The Copper Scroll of Mary Magdelene."

8 December 2004

Jack Chalker Ill
Author Jack Chalker is reported to have been hospitalized and diagnosed with congestive heart failure. He is in fair condition and is expected to make a full recovery. Chalker's family is noting his health condition on his website at http://www.jackchalker.com.

Young Retires
John Young, who joined the astronaut corps in 1962, has announced his plans to retire at the end of December. Young's first mission was aboard Gemini 3 with Gus Grissom. He has since flown on Gemini 10, orbited the moon on Apollo 10, walked on the moon during Apollo 16, flew the first space shuttle mission, and commanded the ninth shuttle mission. Young spent thirteen years as the chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.

Markwyn Resigning
TangentOnline managing editor Chris Markwyn has announced his intention to resign at the end of January. Markwyn stated that other tasks are taking up his time and he does not have the time to edit Tangent as it deserves. He hopes to find a successor before the end of January, but if not, Tangent may go on hiatus. Tangent, a short-fiction review 'zine, is published by David Truesdale.

Smarties Prize
The Twentieth Nestle Smarties Prize for Children's literature was presented in three categories. The Smarties are selected by children.
Under Fives: Biscuit Bear, by Mini Grey
Six to Eight Years: Fergus Crane, by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Nine to Eleven Years: Spilled Water, by Sally Grindley

Nova Awards Announced
The Nova Awards, given for fannish achievement in Britain, have been announced.
Artist: Sue Mason
Writer: Claire Brialey
Fanzine: Zoo Nation ed. Pete Young
Best Fan: (life achievement) Ray Bradbury for constructing the Nova Awards trophy (not to be confused with the author)

7 December 2004

2005 SMOFcon Awarded
Portland, Oregon will host the 2005 SMOFcon, led by David Schaber. This year marked the first time in several years that there was a disputed election for the location of the next year's SMOFcon.

Horvat Collection to University of Oregon
After Mike Horvat put his fanzine collection of 250,000 'zines for sale on Ebay, he was contacted by a worker at the University of Oregon. Horvat had only put the collection on Ebay after contact with several university collections failed to provide him with a repository. His collection will be housed at the University library.

Locus Returns to Westercon
After a year's break, the Locus Awards will be returning to Westercon in 2005. Next year's Westercon will take place in Calgary. In 2004, the Locus Awards were announced early and then presented at Worldcon when Locus and the 2004 Westercon committee could not work out logistics.

We Burned So Bright
PowerSwitch.org.uk will be running a short story competition to raise awareness of oil depletion and the energy-culture transition. The contest is looking for 3000 word stories set in the near future in which oil has become too expensive for every day use. The finalists will be judged by Stephen Baxter.

Obituaries
Comic book artist Bob Haney (b.1926) died on November 25. Haney was a veteran comic book writer from the Silver Age. Starting in 1948, he worked for a seres of publishers, eventually tying in to DC Comics in 1956. Haney created the original Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol and Metamorpho the Element Man and also wrote numerous scripts for The Brave and the Bold.

Kansas City fan Michael Smalley died on the night of December 4/5. Smalley was active in Kansas City fandom, frequently working as a con security guard at local conventions, although he did not attend many cons outside of the Kansas City area. He was actived in KaSFF.

Fan Michael Brocha died on December 5. Brocha has been battling cancer. He is perhaps best known for his work on the Norwescon program books. A grave-side service will be held for family and close-friends on December 7 with a more traditional memorial

3 December 2004

The Incredibles Takes National Board of Review
The National Board of Review, an organization of film professionals, educators, students and historians, has announced its film awards for 2004. "The Incredibles" was named Best Animated Feature and the J.M. Barrie-inspired "Finding Neverland" was named Best Film.

Endeavor Award Announced
John Varley's Red Thunder received the Endeavor Award presented annually at Orycon for SF/F book written by an author who has ties to the Pacific Northwest. The judges were Jennifer Heddle, Gardner Dozois and Sheila Finch. The award carries a grant of $1,000.

1 December 2004

Aldiss Ill
Brian Aldiss has cancelled his plans to attend Philcon in Philadelphia this weekend due to illness.

Return of the King
Zahi Hawass has announced that the treasures of King Tut will tour the United States next year for the first time since 1979. Currently, the exhibit is scheduled to open at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It will also visit Chicago and Fort Lauderdale. At least one other city is expected to be on the tour, possibly Boston, Philadelphia or Brooklyn.

Obituaries
Irwin Donnenfeld (b.1926) died on November 29. Donnefeld's father founded DC Comics and he took over the firm after his father's death in 1965, serving first as editorial director and later as publisher. He oversaw DC's move from Golden Age to Silver Age and the institution of the Comics Code at the publishing house.

Canadian author and broadcaster Pierre Berton (b.1920) died on November 30 of congestive heart failure and diabetes. Berton is best known for writing histories, but also wrote the fantasy novel The Secret World of Og, which was illustrated by his daughter. An award for Canadian history has been named in Berton's honor.

Sawyer Wins UPC Award
Robert Sawyer has won the Premio UPC de Ciencia Ficciσn for the third time for his unpublished story "Identity Theft," which will appear in Down These Dark Spaceways, edited by Mike Resnick. The UPC Prize includes a cash award of 6,000 euros, making it the largest cash prize in the genre. In addition, Santiago Egidi Arteaga won a 1,500 euro prize for his story "El ocio de los sanos" as best work by a member of the UPC community.

Tolkien's House Protected
J.R.R. Tolkien's house in Oxford has been given protected status so any future alterations will have to respect the character of the building and any redevelopment must take its preservation into consideration. Tolkien lived in the house, which was recently sold, from 1930 until 1947.