30 July 2007

Scribe Awards
The Scribe Awards were presented by the International Association of Movie Tie-in Writers at Comic Con. The Scribe Awards recognize excellence in writing tie-in novels. The IAMTW was formed in 2006 and has more than 150 members. This year represents the first Scribe Awards.
Speculative Fiction, Best Novel Adapted: Superman Returns, by Marv Wolfman
Speculative Fiction, Best Novel Original: 30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead, by Stephen Niles and Jeff Mariotte
General Fiction, Best Novel Adapted: Snakes on a Plane, by Christa Faust
Best Novel Original: Las Vegas: High Stakes, by Jeff Mariotte
Young Adult All Genres, Best Novel: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time, by Alice Henderson
Grandmaster: Donald Bain
For More Information...

Alexandria Precursor Found
Archaeologists working in Egypt have discovered the remains of an older city at Alexandria, Egypt. Although it was known that Alexandria, built by Alexander the Great in 331 BCE, was built on the site of a small fishing village named Rhakotis, new evidence suggests that as early as 1000 BCE a much larger city occupied the site.

29 July 2007

Eisner Winners
The winners of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced on Friday night 27 July 2007 at the San Diego Comic Con. The winners are:
Best Short Story: "A Frog's Eye View," by Bill Willingham and James Jean
Best Single Issue (or One-Shot): Batman/The Spirit #1: "Crime Convention," by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke
Best Continuing Series: All Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Best Limited Series: Batman: Year 100, by Paul Pope
Best New Series: Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Best Title for a Younger Audience: Gumby, by Bob Burden and Rick Geary
Best Humor Publication: Flaming Carrot Comics, by Bob Burden
Best Anthology: Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, by Bill Willingham and various
Best Digital Comic: Sam and Max, by Steve Purcell
Best Reality-Based Work: Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Best Graphic Album—New: American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
Best Graphic Album—Reprint: Absolute DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips: The Complete Peanuts, 1959-1960, 1961-1962, by Charles Schulz
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books: Absolute Sandman Vol. 1, by Neil Gaiman and various
Best US Edition of International Material: The Left Bank Gang, by Jason
Best US Edition of International Material—Japan: Old Boy, by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi
Best Writer: Ed Brubaker for Captain America, Daredevil, and Criminal
Best Writer/Artist: Paul Pope for Batman: Year 100
Best Writer/Artist—Humor: Tony Millionaire for Billy Hazelnuts and Sock Monkey: The Inches Incident
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: Mark Buckingham/Steve Leialoha for Fables
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art): Jill Thompson for "A Dog and His Boy" in The Dark Horse Book of Monsters; "Love Triangle" in Sexy Chix, and "Fair Division," in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Best Cover Artist: James Jean for Fables, Jack of Fables, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Best Coloring: Dave Stewart for BPRD, Conan, The Escapists, and Hellboy; and Action Comics, Batman/The Spirit, and Superman
Best Lettering: Todd Klein for Fables, Jack of Fables, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, Pride of Baghdad, and Testament; Fantastic Four: 1602 and Eternals; and Lost Girls
Special Recognition: Hope Larson for Gray Horses
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism: Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas
Best Comics-Related Book: The Art of Brian Bolland, edited by Joe Pruett
Best Publication Design: Absolute DC: The New Frontier, designed by Darwyn Cooke
Hall of Fame Judges' Choices (2): Robert Kanigher and Ogden Whitney
Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comics Writing: Gardner Fox, George Gladir Russ Manning
Promising Newcomer Award: David Petersen Bob Clampett
Humanitarian Award: Neil Gaiman
Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award: Earth-2, Sherman Oaks, CA, owned by Carr D'Angelo

27 July 2007

Heinlein Archives
The Heinlein Trust and University of California Santa Cruz have announced the creation of the Heinlein Archives, a digital collection of the entire Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein collection for academic and research purposes. Currently, Heinlein's manuscript collection is available on-line with a variety of other categories of documents to follow.
For More Information...

NASA Problems
Two high-profile setbacks have appeared for NASA. A subcontractor has reportedly sabotaged a computer which was to installed on the International Space Station and used for structural data collection. This is the first known case of sabotage against the space program. In addition, a NASA internal report indicates that on at least two cases, astronauts were allowed to fly within twelve hours of drinking alcohol. It is not clear whether they flew on space flights or jets.
For More Information: Sabotage...
For More Information: Alcohol...

Space Port Explosion
An explosion occurred at the Mojave Air and Spact port on July 26, killing three employees of Scaled Composites. Two tanks of nitrous oxide, used as an oxidizer for SpaceShipOne exploded. Scaled Composites are currently designing and building SpaceShipTwo and the White Knight 2.
For More Information...

Obituaries
Actress Laura Devon (b.1937) died on July 19. Devon appeared on several genre television shows in the 1960s, including "The Twilight Zone" and "The Invaders." In 1966, she appeared in the film "Chamber of Horrors."

László Kovács (b.1933) died on July 21. Kovacs worked on "Ghostbusters" and "Jack Frost." In 1955, he was cinematographer for the film "Blood of Dracula's Castle," under the name Leslie Kovacs. His first film was "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!?"

23 July 2007

Additional Heinlein Award Winner
Yoji Kendo has announced that Anne McCaffrey is a second recipient of this year's Heinlein Award, joining Elizabeth Moon, whose name was announced at the Heinlein Centennial. McCaffrey was unable to attend the Centennial and will be presented with her medal and certificate at the Writers of the Future event in Pasadena in August.
For More Information...

Dinosaurs Co-Existed With Their Ancestors
A recent study of fossils located in New Mexico indicates that the precursors to dinosaurs survived well after dinosaurs appeared on the scene. The discovery of coexistence has forced scientists to rethink any theories that the dinosaurs' precursors were wiped out in a mass extinction event like the one believed to have killed of the dinosaurs.
For More Information...

Viking Hoard Found
David and Andrew Whelan found a massive Viking treasure trove while searching in a farmer's field outside Harrowgate England. The trove, which was buried more than 1,000 years ago, is the largest Viking trove discovered since the Cuerdale Hoard was found in 1840. Items in the hoard were created as far afield as Afghanistan, Russia and Scandinavia.
For More Information...

Potter Franchise Records
Shortly after breaking the box office record for a Wednesday opening with the release of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" on July 11, the final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold more than 8 million copies in the first 24 hours it was available.

Emmy Nominations
The nominations for this year's Emmy Awards for excellence in television have been announced. Below are categories with nominees of genre interest. The winners will be announced on September 16.

Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Avatar: The Last Airbender, "City Of Walls And Secrets"
Robot Chicken, "Lust For Puppets"
The Simpsons, "The Haw-Hawed"
South Park, "Make Love, Not Warcraft"
SpongeBob SquarePants, "Bummer Vacation" / "Wig Struck"

Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour Or More)
Good Wilt Hunting (Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends)
Hellboy Animated: Sword Of Storms
Secrets Of The Deep
Where's Lazlo? (Camp Lazlo)

Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series
Deadwood
Heroes
Rome
Shark
The Tudors
Ugly Betty

Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica, "Exodus, Part 2"
Boston Legal, "Son of the Defender"
Friday Night Lights, "Pilot"
Heroes, "Genesis"
Lost, "Through the Looking Glass"
The Sopranos, "Kennedy And Heidi"
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, "Pilot"

Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming
Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib, Rory Kennedy, Director
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed, Kevin Burns, Director
Thin, Lauren Greenfield, Director
This American Life, God's Close-Up, Christopher Wilcha, Director
When The Levees Broke: A Requiem In Four Acts, Spike Lee, Director

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series
Dexter, "Dexter "
Heroes, "Genesis"
Lost, "Through The Looking Glass"
The Sopranos, "The Second Coming"
The Sopranos, "Soprano Home Movies"

Outstanding Makeup For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special (Non-Prosthetic)
Broken Trail
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story Of The Mayflower
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King
The Starter

Outstanding Music Composition For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special (Original Dramatic Score)
Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs And Blockbusters
Broken Trail
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
The Librarian: Return To King Solomon's Mines
Longford Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King: Battleground
The Path To 9/11

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or A Movie
Broken Trail, Robert Duvall as Prentice "Print" Ritter
Jesse Stone: Sea Change, Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone
Longford, Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King, William H. Macy as Clyde Umney & Sam Landry
The Ron Clark Story, Matthew Perry as Ron Clark

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters, Sally Field as Nora Walker
The Closer, Kyra Sedgwick as Dep. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Mariska Hargitay as Detective Olivia Benson
Medium, Patricia Arquette as Allison Dubois
The Riches, Minnie Driver as Dahlia Malloy
The Sopranos, Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Boston Legal, William Shatner as Denny Crane
Grey's Anatomy, T.R. Knight as George
Heroes, Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura
Lost, Michael Emerson as Ben
Lost, Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
The Sopranos, Michael Imperioli as Christopher Moltisanti

Outstanding Drama Series
Boston Legal
Grey's Anatomy
Heroes
House
The Sopranos

Outstanding Nonfiction Special
AFI's 100 Years....100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies
Blood Diamonds
Brando
Ghosts Of Abu Ghraib
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed

Outstanding Writing For Nonfiction Programming
American Masters, "Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
Planet Earth, "Mountains"
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
This American Life, "God's Close-Up"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Series
Battlestar Galactica, "Exodus, Part 2"
CSI: Miami, "No Man's Land"
ER, "Bloodline"
Lost, "A Tale Of Two Cities"
Smallville, "Zod"
24, "10:00 PM - 11:00 PM"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
Broken Trail, "Night 2"
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
The Librarian: Return To King Solomon's Mines
The Path To 9/11, "Night 1"
Tsunami, The Aftermath, "Part 1"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (one-hour)
Boston Legal, "Lincoln"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, "Living Doll"
Deadwood, "A Two-Headed Beast"
Heroes, "Genesis"
The Sopranos, "Stage 5"
24, "10:00 PM - 11:00 PM"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series
Battlestar Galactica, "Exodus, Part 2"
Eureka, "Pilot"
Grey's Anatomy, "Walk On Water"
Heroes, "Five Years Gone"
Rome, "Philippi"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Drive, "The Starting Line"
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, "Battleground"
Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From The Stories Of Stephen King, "The End Of The Whole Mess"
The Path To 9/11
Secrets Of The Deep

Outstanding Stunt Coordination
CSI: Miami, "Rush"
CSI: NY, "Sleight Out Of Hand"
ER, "Bloodline"
Heroes, "Genesis"
24, "2:00 PM - 3:00 PM"

Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series
Battlestar Galactica, "Occupation/Precipice"
Lost, "Through The Looking Glass"
The Sopranos, "Kennedy And Heidi"
The Sopranos, "The Second Coming"
The Sopranos, "Made In America"
For More Information...

Obituaries
Actor Kieron Moore (b.1924) died on July 15. Moore appeared in more than fifty films during his career, including "Satellite in the Sky," about the first British orbital launch, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People," "Doctor Blood's Coffin," and "The Day of the Triffids."

Bart Burns (b.1918) died on July 17. Burns appeared in the television film "Earth II" and in the episode "Valley of My Shadow" of "The Twilight Zone."

18 July 2007

Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award
The Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award was presented at Readercon to Daniel F. Galouye. The award, founded in 2001, is presented to a science fiction or fantasy writer whose work displays unusual originality, embodies the spirit of Cordwainer Smith's fiction, and deserves renewed attention or 'Rediscovery.'
For More Information...

Obituary
Portland fan Juanita Sharp (b.1924) died on June 25. Although Sharp was not active in fandom in recent years, in 1950, she worked on NorWesCon, the Worldcon in Seattle. Sharp also helped in production of fanzines. Sharp was married to fellow fan joseph Salta for 52 years at the time of his death in 2006.

11 July 2007

Heinlein Award
Elizabeth Moon was presented with the Robert A. Heinlein Award on July 7, 2007, the centennial of Heinlein's birth, at the Heinlein Centennial celebration in Kansas City. The Heinlein Award was established in 2003 to honor outstanding published works in hard science fiction or technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space.
For More Information...

Robert A. Heinlein Centennial Short Story Contest
The Heinlein Society has announced a short story contest to find stories which express the spirit, ideas, and philosophy of Robert A. Heinlein. All stories must have original characters and settings. Winners will be announced in July 2008 and the best stories will be published in an anthology.
For More Information...

Obituaries
Actor Kerwin Matthews (b.1923) died on July 5. Matthews is best remembered for his role as Sinbad in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad," but appeared in other genre work as well. His first screen role was in the television series "Space Patrol" and he also appeared in "Ghostbreakers," "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf," and "Nightmare in Blood," his final role.

Actor Charles Lane (b.1905) died on July 9. Lane is best known for his role as a newspaper reporter in Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," but also appeared in Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life." Other genre roles included an uncredited appearance in "Mighty Joe Young," an appearances in "Dark Shadows," "The Munsters," and "Bewitched," and the film "Strange Invaders." Lane got his start in 1931, appearing in more than 300 films and television shows before his final appearance in 2006.

8 July 2007

SLF Announces Gulliver Grant
The Speculative Literature Foundation has announced the 2007 Gullivar Grant. The Gulliver Grant is for $600 to cover airfare, lodging, and/or other travel expenses. It is awarded to assist writers of speculative literature, including fiction, drama, poetry, and creative nonfiction, in their research. Previously known as the Speculative Literature Foundation Travel Research Grant, the grant was named for Lemuel Gulliver in November 2006 at the request of the grant's sponsor.
For More Information...

Rhysling Awards
The Rhysling Awards for excellence in science fiction poetry were presented at Readercon. The winners are listed below.
Short Poem: The Graven Idol's Godheart, by Rich Ristow
Long Poem: The Journey to Kailash, by Mike Allen
For More Information...

Campbell and Sturgeon Awards
The John W. Campbell Memorial Award and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award were presented on July 6 in Kansas City, MO during the Heinlein Centennial Celebration in a joint ceremony with the SFRA.
Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award: "The Cartesian Theater," by Robert Charles Wilson
John W. Campbell Memorial Award: Titan, by Ben Bova
Sturgeon: For More Information...
Campbell: For More Information...

SFRA Awards Presented
The Science Fiction Research Association presented several awards on July 6 in Kansas City, MO during the Heinlein Centennial Celebration in a joint ceremony with the Campbell/Sturgeon Awards.
Graduate Student Paper Award: Linda Wight
Mary Kay Bray Award: Ed Carmien
Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service: Michael Levy
Pioneer Award: Amy J. Ransom
Pilgrim Award: Algis Budrys
For More Information...

ASFA Vice President Takes Over
Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists President Audre Vysniauskas has fallen ill and is unable to undertake her duties. ASFA Vice-President Mike Willmoth will take the position as acting president until the upcoming elections.
For More Information...

6 July 2007

Masters of Science Fiction Finally to Air
ABC has finally announced the four episodes of Masters of Science Fiction which will air in August. Although more episodes have been filmed, the episodes, which will begin airing on August 4, are based on stories by John Kessel, Howard Fast, Robert A. Heinlein, and Harlan Ellison.

Westercon Winner
Phoenix, Arizona will host Westercon 62 in 2009. Phoenix easily won on a first ballot with 78 votes in which it faced no announced opposition. Various write-in bids received a total of 35 votes. The Phoenix Westercon will be known as FiestaCon. Its website is at http://www.fiestacon.org.

Obituary
Composer Will Shaeffer (b.1928) died on June 30 after a battle with cancer. Shaeffer wrote several theme songs for television, including the music for "The Jetsons," "The Flintstones," "Super Friends," and "I Dream of Jeannie."

3 July 2007

Million Writers Contest
Catherynne M. Valente won the Million Writers Contest for best online story for her short story "Urchins, While Swimming," which appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine. The Million Writers Contest, which is selected by readers, includes a prize of $300.

Ellison v. Fantagraphics
Gary Groth, the head of Fantagraphics, has announced that a settlement has been reached in the defamation case of Ellison v. Fantagraphics. No further comment on the settlement has been made by any of the parties involved in the lawsuit.

Obituaries
Author Fred Saberhagen (b.1930) died on June 29. Saberhagen's career began with the publication of "Volume Paa-Pyx" in Galaxy in 1961. His first novel, The Golden People, followed in 1964. Saberhagen may be best known for his Berserker series, which began in 1967, his Dracula sequence, beginning in 1975, and his Swords/Lost Swords series, starting in 1986. Saberhagen received a Nebula nomination in 1966 for "Masque of the Red Shift," and a Hugo nomination the following year for "Mr. Jester."

Journalist Steve Swires (b.1951) died in October, 2006. Swires wrote for Starlog and Fangoria, and his interviews with actors who appeared in science fiction films and television series appeared in many documentaries.

1 July 2007

SFWA Officers Named
Michael Capobianco has announced the appointment of replacement officers. Following the annual elections, Sheila Finch and Catherine Mintz announced their resignations as Western Regional Director and Secretary. Diane Turnshek had previously announced her resignation as Eastern Regional Director effective after the Nebula Weekend. Alma Hromic Deckert, who publishes under the name Alma Alexander, will serve as Secretary. Bud Sparhawk has agreed to finish the term as Eastern Regional Director, and Russell Davis will finish the term as Western Regional Director.

Obituaries
Author Sterling Lanier (b.1927) died on June 28. Lanier is best known for his Hiero novels, but when serving as an editor for Chilson in the 1960s, he convinced the publisher to buy a science fiction manuscript (Chilson is an automotive publisher). The resulting book was Franker Herbert's Dune.

Ohio fan Liz Gross (b.1940) died on June 27 following a two and a half week coma resulting from pneumonia that grew out of a cold she caught at Wiscon. Gross has recently retired from a professorship at Ohio State University. Gross had served as chair of both Context and Marcon in Columbus and was one of the founders of Context.

Screenwriter Brian Finch (b.1936) died on June 27. Finch wrote screenplays for genre shows "Captain Scarlet," "The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne," and "The Tomorrow People." In the 1960s, he served as a ghostwriter for the Beatles.

Actor William Hutt (b.1920) died on June 27. Best known for his appearances at the Stratford Festival in Canada, Hutt also appeared in an episode of the television show "The Starlost" and in the film "The Shape of Things to Come."

Animator Art Stevens (b.1915) died on May 22. Stevens joined Disney in 1940 when he worked as an in-betweener on "Fantasia." Stevens went on to work on "Robin Hood," "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," and "Peter Pan," among other films. In 1992, he received the Golden Award from the Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists Guild.