Obituary: Neva Patterson
Actress Neva Patterson (b.1922) died on December 14. Patterson appeared in the television series V, as well as episodes of Logan’s Run and Tales from the Crypt and the film All of Me.
Actress Neva Patterson (b.1922) died on December 14. Patterson appeared in the television series V, as well as episodes of Logan’s Run and Tales from the Crypt and the film All of Me.
French director Jean Rollin (b.1938) died on December 15. Rollin directed Le Viol du Vampire and followed up with La Vampire Nue, Le Frisson des Vampires, and Requiem pour un Vampire as well as numerous other zombie and vampire films throughout his career.
Writer, producer, and director Blake Edwards (b.1922) died on December 15. Edwards may be best known for his films 10, the Pink Panther, and The Great Race. Edwards did have a few genre films, including Switch, Strangler of the Swamp, and The Atomic Kid. In 2004, he won an honorary Oscar in recognition of his writing, directing, and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen. The same year, he won a Life Career Award from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
In honor of the launch of a new Charlaine Harris website with new forums, Penguin is holding a Charlaine Harris Sweepstakes through December 27, 2010. Five entrants will win a stocking and a copy of Dead in the Family, both autographed by Harris. Winners will be announced on January 3, 2011.
SyFy Films has entered into an arrangement with Universal to produce two science fiction, fantasy, and horror films a year with Universal handling the distribution. Production on the films, which will have budgets between $5 million and $25 million, will begin in 2012.
Tokyo has banned the sale of manga that depicts rape, incest, and other sexual crimes to anyone under the age of 18. Anyone caught violating this rule faces a fine of ¥300,000 ($3,570). A group of publishers has threatened to boycott the Tokyo International Anime Fair in March 2011 over what they see as an attempt at censorhip.
The Annie Awards nominations have been announced, with the winners presented on February 5, 2011 in Los Angeles by the International Animated Film Society. Founded 38 years ago, the Annies honor excellence in animation on both film and television.
Production Categories
Best Animated Feature
Best Animated Short Subject
Best Animated Television Commercial
Best Animated Television Production
Best Animated Television Production for Children
Best Animated Video Game
Individual Achievement Categories
Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Character Animation in a Television Production
Character Animation in a Feature Production
Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Character Design in a Television Production
Character Design in a Feature Production
Directing in a Television Production
Directing in a Feature Production
Music in a Television Production
Music in a Feature Production
Production Design in a Television Production
Production Design in a Feature Production
Storyboarding in a Television Production
Storyboarding in a Feature Production
Voice Acting in a Television Production
Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Writing in a Television Production
Writing in a Feature Production
Juried Awards
A Mediterranean storm that caused part of the Israeli coast to collapse unearthed a 1.2 meter tall statue of a woman in a toga which is believed to be between 1800 and 2000 years old. The statue was part of a bathhouse complex.
The American game show Jeopardy! will feature a series of three games between champion players Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter and an IBM computer, named Watson, from February 14-16, 2011. IBM has been in talks with the show’s producers for two years for the match-up, which IBM sees as a major test for their computer. Before the show’s producers would agree, the computer had to pass the same test human have to take. The purse for the three-day tournament will be $1,000,000, with the entire amount going to charity if Watson wins and 50% going to charity if one of the humans wins.
Gollancz, a science fiction imprint of Orion Publishing, is looking to fill an editorial position in London. The editor will be working with the Deputy Publishing Director, authors, agents, and various members of the production and marketing teams.