San Diego Comic Con 2010

Passes for the San Diego Comic Con are now on sale via the Comic Con website. The 4-day passes in particular have sold out very quickly in past years with single day passes (not released yet) also selling out quickly. If you missed out this year and don’t want to miss out again, you should consider booking your 4 day passes (with or without preview night) right away to ensure you don’t miss any of the fun.

Details at the San Diego Comic Con website: http://www.comic-con.org/cci

Popularity: 11% [?]

Stargate Universe Premiere Approaches around the World

The long awaited and much anticipated premiere of the newest instalment in the Stargate franchise is just around the corner.

Stargate Universe will premiere in the following locations in October:

For full details on Stargate Universe including cast & character information, trailers, video interviews and a virtual tour of the Destiny set visit the official Stargate Universe site at MGM

Popularity: 8% [?]

San Diego Comic Con

Each year the San Diego Comic Con seems to get more and more enormous and tickets seem to sell out faster every year.   If you were planning to go to Comic Con this year and haven’t got your tickets,  you’re probably out of luck.  Tickets sold out weeks ago and this year comic con aren’t allowing transfer or resale of tickets.

Events of interest to fans of Stargate and Firefly include:

• “Stargate Universe” Panel
• Amanda Tapping’s “Sanctuary” Panel
• Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse” Panel including viewing of unaired Episode 13 and exclusive season 1 DVD release
• “V: The Series” which stars Firefly’s Morena Baccarin & Alan Tudyk including viewing of the pilot episode.
• Adam Baldwin’s series “Chuck“
• Shawna Trpcic [Firefly, Dollhouse, Cabin in the Woods] will participate in a costuming panel

There will also be a lot of other sci fi and TV related things going on over the event and many special guests including Doctor Who’s David Tennant and Lord of the Rings’ Peter Jackson among others.

Keep an eye on Fannish Inquisition for more Comic Con news.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Here’s an updated list of conventions featuring Stargate & Firefly guests this year.  New entries added in blue.  For more detailed information visit our Conventions & Events page.

Collectormania at Milton Keynes (UK) 5-7 June

• Nathan Fillion (Firefly)
• Amanda Tapping Cancelled due to professional commitments
• Ben Browder (Stargate)
• Rachel Luttrell (Stargate)
• John Delancie (Stargate)

Polaris 23 Ontario, Canada 10-12 July

• Claudia Black (Stargate)
• David Nykl (Stargate)

Shore Leave, Hunt Valley MD 10-12 July

• Jason Momoa (Stargate)
• Rachel Luttrell (Stargate)
• Robert Picardo (Stargate)
• Christopher Heyerdahl (Stargate)
• Michael Welch (Stargate)

Best of Both Wolrds Stargate Convention in Newcastle (Aust) 17-19 July

• David Nykl
• Ivy Isenburg

London Film & Comic Con July 18-19

• Jewel Staite (Firefly / Stargate)
• Michael Shanks (Stargate)
• Many other guests

Dragon*Con in Atlanta 4-7 September

• Adam Baldwin (Firefly / Stargate)
• Ron Glass (Firefly)
• Joe Flanigan (Stargate)
• Claudia Black (Stargate)
• Ben Browder (Stargate)
• Paul McGillion (Stargate)
• Jason Momoa (Stargate)
• Michael Shanks (Stargate)
• Colin Cunningham (Stargate)

Creation Entertainment Stargate Convention in Chicago Aug 21-23

• Amanda Tapping
• Joe Flanigan
• Michael Shanks
• Paul Mcgillion
• Connor Trinneer
• Gary Jones
• Rachel Luttrell

Wolf Haven Sanctuary Con in London (UK)  2-4 October

• Christopher Heyerdhal (Stargate Atlantis, Sanctuary)
• Emilie Ullerup (Sanctuary)
• Ryan Robins (Stargate Atlantis, Sanctuary)
• Robin Dunne (Sanctuary)

Armageddon in Melbourne (AU)  Oct 17-18

• Amanda Tapping (Stargate)
• Jason Momoa (Stargate)
• Paul McGillion (Stargate)
• Michael Welch (Stargate)

Armageddon in Auckland (NZ) Oct 17-18

• Amanda Tapping (Stargate)
• Jason Momoa (Stargate)
• Paul McGillion (Stargate)
• Michael Welch (Stargate)

Creation Entertainment Stargate Convention in LA November 6-8

• Michael Shanks
• Cliff Simon
• Paul McGillion (Added 25 May)
• Robert Picardo (Added 28 May)
  
• Ben Browder will appear on stage at the Stargate Convention in addition to being at the Farscape convention being held simultaneously.  Claudia Black will also attend the Farscape convention

Amanda Tapping 4 in the UK 13-15 November

• Amanda Tapping

Creation Entertainment Firefly Convention in LA November 21-22

• Adam Baldwin (Firefly / Stargate)
• Morena Baccarin (Firefly / Stargate)

Popularity: 7% [?]

Firefly Cast Success as Networks announce lineup

It’s been a big day for cast members of Firefly.

First we heard that Joss Whedon’s series Dollhouse which aired mid-season on Fox had a surprising renewal announcement despite low ratings.  The second season of Dollhouse will air on Friday nights and it has been stated that in order for the series to be renewed drastic budget cuts had to be made.  There has been no indication of exactly what that means to date but fans are both stunned and excited by the unexpected good news.

This news was followed by an unofficial and not quite so surprising announcement that a second season of Nathan Fillion’s series Castle has been ordered by ABC.  An official announcement will be made by ABC on Tuesday.

Continuing on the good news front for Firefly cast members is that the remake of the 1980s sci-fi series V has been picked up by ABC for 6 episodes.  Cast members of V include Morena Baccarin playing Anna (the character previously known as Dianna) and Alan Tudyk who will play Dale Maddox.  Firefly’s visual effects company Zoic is also working on the series.

UPDATE: Adam Baldwin’s series Chuck has also been renewed, the 13 episode season will air in the fall.

UPDATE: Sadly however it’s not all good news.  Summer Glau’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles suffered the anticipated fete and has now been officially cancelled.  As we know, Stargate Atlantis was cancelled last year seeing Jewel Staite back in the auditioning process however she will be appearing in the Atlantis movie expected to be filmed later this year.

Ron Glass is currently filming the US remake of the UK film “Death at a Funeral” (which ironically starred Alan Tudyk), Gina Torres will be in a TV movie later in the year called “Applause for Miss E” and continues in a number of  TV series guest spots and Sean Maher’s TV Movie “Drop Dead Diva” is also due to be released this year.

• Order Season 1 of Dollhouse on DVD
• Order Season 1 of Castle on DVD
• Buy Season 1 of Chuck on DVD
• Order Season 2 of Chuck on DVD

Popularity: 4% [?]

It’s Official – Dollhouse & Castle Renewed

In a surprising turn of events word has been released today that Joss Whedon’s series Dollhouse which struggled all season to get decent ratings has in fact been renewed.   The internet has been buzzing about the possibility of a second season for the past few days and numerous media sources started revealing they were hearing rumours about the series being considered for a second season despite the poor ratings.

Fans have been making a last ditch effort over the past week making use of networking sites like Twitter to encourage fans of the show to let Fox Broadcasting know they want a second season, to pre-order the DVDs and watch episodes of Dollhouse on the Hulu and Fox websites, this effort combined with high DVR figures has prompted Fox to give the show a future.  Season 2 of Dollhouse will air in the Fall and will continue to be broadcast on Friday nights.

Buy Season 1 of Dollhouse on DVD

News just in:

Nathan Fillion’s series Castle has also been renewed for a second season – more details to come.
Buy Season 1 of Castle on DVD

Popularity: 9% [?]

Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop

Submitted by: BrianDTI

At Wondercon in San Francisco, I had the genuine pleasure of meeting master model-maker Lorne Peterson. He was promoting his book “Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop” by Insight Editions. Lorne was very friendly and gladly spent time answering questions in detail about his adventures. For me, having a positive personal connection with the author makes the book that much more interesting, and it is clear that a lot of Lorne is in this book as he takes readers on a journey that few could impart.

I’ve always been a fan of high quality art books, and this hardcover tome from Insight Editions certainly fits the bill. Beyond the high-quality paper and printing quality that defines any book from Insight, this volume delves into the Lucasfilm archives and shows the detailed stages of creating these models from sketches to the final screen versions. The chapters include Starships, Vehicles, Creatures Droids & Sculpts, and Environments. The six primary films are represented with over three hundred photographs and illustrations of the models as well as the Industrial Light & Magic model shop.

My favorite parts were seeing how the Millenium Falcon, Star Destroyer, and the Death Star were created. Then again, the AT-AT Walkers were fascinating too — clearly I have many favorite parts. Not only are there a variety of pictures of construction processes, but most importantly the stories are quite interesting.

For uber-fans, Insight also offers a limited edition with extra pages of content to delight the senses, a replica of Luke’s landspeeder, seven replicas of the Death Star surface models, and a DVD on the beginnings of the ILM model shop. This version is signed and numbered, limited to 3,000 copies.

Lorne was one of a handful of people who worked on all six Star Wars movies, and his knowledge and passion shine through in this breathtaking book any Star Wars fan would be proud to own.

Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop
By Lorne Peterson, Preface by George Lucas
Hardcover, 216 pages
ISBN-10: 1-933784-03-2
$50.00 from $31.50

Popularity: 14% [?]

Joss Whedon Honored with Ray Bradbury Award

The Nebula Awards are presented by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America to celebrate excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing.

Buffy/Firefly/Dollhouse creator Joss Whedon will be honored this year with the The Ray Bradbury Award.  The award,  named after the author and screenwriter Ray Bradbury, was created to honor excellence in dramatic works such as motion pictures, television, internet, radio, audio, and stage productions. Read more »

Popularity: 7% [?]

What’s Coming Up

Wondering what’s coming up in the next six months for Firefly and Stargate conventions? Below we have a summary of the events we’re aware of. Click on the “view calendar” link for each month for more comprehensive details of each event. Read more »

Popularity: 23% [?]

Star Trek Movie

The new Star Trek Movie will be released in Autralia (Asia Pacific) on May 7th 2009 and in the USA, Canada & Europe on May 8th. Read more »

Popularity: 16% [?]