Can you say...redo?

Ok, now I love sci-fi and fantasy books, movies, tv shows, etc...if it has swords, magic, Dragons, spaceships, aliens, or anything else from these two genres, I'm pretty much on board to at least check it out. So of course I troll through the various blogs, news sites, and zines, looking to see what the new latest and greatest is going to be. There is a very obvious trend, which has been the case for the last few years, towards remaking old ideas, or revamping old series and coming out with squeals.

Now, I have no problems with that, trust me! Some of the older ideas were really awesome. But when I think back over the last year or so, and look at what's in the works right now, well..... GI Joe movie, Indiana Jones 4(and apparently 5 is on the drawing board), a new Tron movie(waayyy over due if you ask me!), Transformers, a new take Star Trek movie(great by the way)....the list goes on.... and now I see they are 'rebooting' Highlander, the V tv series, and today I see 'Predator Reboot'. *blink* *double take* Like I said, no issues with remakes and such here, but...where are the new ideas to go along with these? Where are the next group of fresh ideas, new characters etc? Have these genres become nothing but repeat, redo, reboot, remake material? Is there no new, fresh, young talent that has their own ideas?

Just my thoughts, take them or leave them as you like. :)

Until next time,

Robert

Tron: Legacy

Most of you probably know about Tron II, also known as Tron: Legacy, the sequel to one of my all time favorite classic sci-fi movies, Tron. Well, the release date was announced, and our wait is going to be less than we originally thought. December 17th of this year!

Also coming out that weekend will be the Green Hornet movie, a movie remake of the old time TV and Radio show series of the same name about one of the original crime fighting heroes. I for one can not wait!

I also saw a note that Smurfs the movie will come out that weekend... now, don't get me wrong, I use to watch the cartoon Smurfs when I was a kid, and who could forget the Smurfs and the Magic Flute, but...a movie? Really? I guess they are going to remake every TV show, Cartoon, and movie from our childhood, and put new spins on them with the latest digital effects and see if they can recapture that old magic. Might work in some cases.

So when are they going to remake WKRP in Cincinnati? :P

Just my thoughts, until next time...

RD Williams
Author of 'The Lost Gate'
www.thelostgate.com

New website

The new website for my novel "The Lost Gate" is now up and running! :)

Click below to check out the site, there are sample chapters of 'The Lost Gate' available.

www.thelostgate.com

The sequel to 'The Lost Gate' is in progress, and 'The Chaos Blade" will be available sometime in 2010.

RD Williams

Absolutely amazing! Must see!

Ok, I know I usually try to keep my blog posts to things related to Sci-Fi/Fantasy, writing, and things like that...but this story was just so amazing, inspirational, and...well I can't come up with the proper words to describe it. You have to see the video for yourself. It's about a man and his son, Dick and Rick Hoyt, and the real power of love. I'm tearing up again just thinking about it. Please watch the video...

http://bit.ly/T3UVH

World Fantasy Award Nominations...

The World Fantasy Convention is approaching(Oct 29th - Nov 1st), and they've announced the nominees for the 2009 World Fantasy Awards.

Here's the one that I always like to see, the Best Novel Award. Nominations are:

• The House of the Stag, Kage Baker (Tor)
• The Shadow Year, Jeffrey Ford (Morrow)
• The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins; Bloomsbury)
• Pandemonium, Daryl Gregory (Del Rey)
• Tender Morsels, Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin; Knopf)


If you want to see more about the other categories, go to the below link:
http://www.worldfantasy2009.org/?page_id=10


PS: only a month till Dragon*Con!

RD Williams

It's coming...

It's almost that time of year again, time for all the Fantasy and Sci-Fi fans to unite once more. September 4th thru 7th, thousands of Fantasy/Sci-Fi movie, book, comic-book, etc, fans will descend on Atlanta GA for the 2009 Dragon*Con!



Click the link above for more information, including guests, etc...

One small step for TV, One giant leap for Sci-fi...

The date, September 8th, 1966, fans of Science Fiction gather round their TV's and watch the premier of a new sci-fi series that would mark a change in Science Fiction programs for generations...a course that we are still moving forward on as a community at full warp speed.

Star Trek wasn't considered a 'hit' at the time, and in fact NBC threatened to end the Enterprise's five year mission only three months into the show. But the fans would not be denied at that time, and the show continued for three years. Perhaps if the fans of that day had not flooded NBC with letters to try and save the show during that first year, Star Trek may have become nothing more than a small footnote in the history of Sci-fi TV. The names of Kirk and Spock, McCoy and Scotty, Sulu and Chekov, Uhura and Chapel, wouldn't have come to be as recognized as they are today. Yet, the fans stood up and made their voices heard, our parents and in some cases grand parents. We as a younger generation have them to thank, for without them we might not have had the old shows to watch as children, wouldn't have grown up with Captain Picard and crew bringing us an updated way to boldly go where no one had gone before.

How would Science Fiction TV, literature, and internet sites differ if Star Trek had died out after those first three months, fading away into the past like a burned out star? Would the Sci-fi industry even be the same as it is? Just think for a moment, no Trek conventions, no Trek influence on writers, bloggers, actors, screen play writers...no ST: TNG, no DS9, no Voyager...*gasp* no Klingons at general Sci-fi conventions...no Trek movies...

In my mind, it was Star Trek that has made the Science Fiction genre and culture what it is today. Just think, how many other shows, books, movies, artwork were inspired by Star Trek? This is why I am so glad that Trek is still showing no signs of dying out. From time to time it wans, but it continues. There are no current TV series, yet if you go online you can find fan project films, episodes, novels, short stories, etc, etc, etc... and now the new movies, the prequels if you will, which bring us into an alternate time line. Ah yes, the brain child and phenomenon born of the imagination of Gene Rodenberry all those years ago still lives on...and is thriving!

RD Williams

"Course heading Captain?"

"Second star to the right...and straight on till morning..."