File 770 Goes To The Ballpark
By James H. Burns: I tend to write backwards, nowadays, in that I’ll write a piece I want to write, or suddenly write one of those mini-memoirs many of you have been kind enough to read here, and then look … Continue reading →
GRRM Gets Red Wedding Payback in Sharknado 3
In Sharknado 3, George R.R. Martin is chomped in half while seated in the Jean Cocteau Theatre beside a woman in a bridal gown. Get it? According to a post at Winter Is Coming — The directors apparently really wanted … Continue reading →
The Moon at Midnight
James H. Burns: I was seven, on this special evening, forty-six years ago. I had broken my arm, just after school let out for the season, in June. A crummy way to start the summer, certainly. But while there must … Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/25 – A Pixel in Time
Five stories, two videos and a tweet in today’s Scroll. Now with extra subtitle goodness. (1) What’s that sound? Everybody look what’s goin’ down…. Aaron Reese writes audio history in “From vrrrramp to snikt: exploring sci-fi’s most iconic movie sound effects”. … Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/24
Editor’s Appeal: Is “Pixel Scroll” a good title for these daily posts? If so, I still think there needs to be some adornment and variety to keep it fresh. Can anybody think of a scheme to generate a brand of subtitles? (The “Pixel Scroll” … Continue reading →
Hugo Voting Progress Update
Sasquan Hugo Administrator John Lorentz reports about 2,900 votes have now been cast, including roughly 50 ballots sent through the mail. That means 600 votes have been submitted in the past nine days, since the committee’s last announcement.… Continue reading →
Sasquan Reaches 10,000 Membership Mark
Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon, reports it had 10,036 members on July 15. The con added 260 members in the first two weeks of July — 60% of them buying supporting memberships. A $40 supporting membership is the minimum requirement to become eligible as a voter in 2017 site … Continue reading →
SFWA Bulletin Now Available on Amazon
The Spring 2015 issue of the SFWA Bulletin published by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America is now available in a Kindle edition from Amazon for $2.99. The features in the current issue are: Editorial – John Klima … Continue reading →
Jeff Rice (1944-2015)
Jeff Rice, creator of Carl Kolchak, passed away July 1 in Las Vegas at the age of 71. His novel about the character was somewhat unintentionally the basis for two TV movies and an ABC series. David Dawidziak reports in … Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/23
Six stories, a French rant and a video adorn today’s Scroll. (1) “Cap’n, it’s a Class M planet.” “Any lifeform readings?” Described in media reports as an “earthlike planet” is the Kepler space mission’s first discovery of a world smaller than Neptune in … Continue reading →
Trailer Drops For The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 — “We March Together.”… Continue reading →
Tracking the 1632 Series Minicon
Eric Flint recently posted where the next 1632 Series Minicons will be hosted. 2016: Fencon, September 23-25, Dallas, TX. 2017: Balticon, May 26-29, Baltimore, MD. Flint has been picked as a GoH. More 1632 series information is available at their website.Continue reading →
2015 Premio Minotauro Winner
Elio Quiroga’s Los que sueñan has won the 2015 Premio Minotauro, Spain’s literary award for the best unpublished SF, fantasy or horror novel. The Minotaur Award, created in 2003, is worth 6,000 Euros. Quiroga’s novel will be published in October. … Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/22
An auction, eight stories and a tease in today’s Scroll. (1) Attention collectors! Somebody’s flipping Ray Bradbury’s original caricature from the Brown Derby Restaurant today on eBay. Jack Lane’s portrait once hung on the wall at the famed Hollywood & Vine … Continue reading →
Tolkien Names Mark Faraway Places
“Gandalf on Titan” may sound like the title of an Ace Double but as of today it’s a map feature on Saturn’s largest moon. The IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature has just announced that Titan has Mountains of … Continue reading →
Standlee Produces Business Meeting Basics Video
Got to hand it to Kevin Standlee for all the hard work he puts into evangelizing the Worldcon business meeting. Here is an 8-minute video about the basic operating rules. Clear, concise, correct. Kind of reminds me of those driver … Continue reading →
ABC Posts Muppets Preview
Here’s a ten-minute slice of heaven, ABC’s “First Look Presentation” from the new Muppets series.… Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/21
Lists and definitions highlight the stories in today’s Scroll. (1) Pat Cadigan on Facebook about winning a Seiun Award: Anyway, since 1990, when I heard Cristina Macía talk about the challenges of translating work from English, I have tried to … Continue reading →
Ray Harryhausen On The Longlist For New £20 Banknote
Is this a real thing? Not a hack like drawing Spock ears on a Canadian $5 bill? Yes and no. Ray Harryhausen is one of many “eligible characters” on the Bank of England’s longlist of nominees to have their image on the new … Continue reading →
Theodore Bikel (1924-2015)
Actor Theodore Bikel, creator of the role of Baron von Trapp in the Broadway production of The Sound of Music, and a constant presence on American TV over five decades, passed away July 20. In his most famous genre TV role, Bikel played the … Continue reading →
The Bright Moon
By John Hertz: Ever since Earth sent a man to the Moon, landing on July 20, 1969, that day for many of us has been the Glorious 20th — yesterday; we who cherish such thoughts looked, literally or figuratively, or … Continue reading →
2015 British Fantasy Awards Shortlist
The nominees for the 2015 British Fantasy Awards have been announced. The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony at FantasyCon on October 25. Best anthology The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2, ed. Jan Edwards and Jenny … Continue reading →
Connie Willis Medical Update
Earlier this month, while walking to a garage sale, Connie Willis fell in the driveway and fractured the floor of her eye socket; it will have to be surgically repaired. She told readers of her blog on July 20 the … Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/20
Eight stories, two videos, some smack and a snack in today’s Scroll. (1) What does John King Tarpinian eat each year to commemorate the July 20th anniversary of the first Moon landing? And if anybody asks John “Where were you that … Continue reading →
Racing Presidents Cosplay on Star Wars Day at Nationals Park
By Martin Morse Wooster: Good sense and prudence should have stopped me from going to Star Wars Day at Nationals Park on July 19. The game time temperature began in the mid-nineties and hit a high of 98. It was … Continue reading →
Hudlin Wins Icon Award
Reggie Hudlin is San Diego Comic-Con’s 2015 Icon Award winner. Reginald Hudlin is an innovator of the modern black film movement, having created, written, and/or directed such films as House Party, Boomerang, and BeBe’s Kids, which are some of the most profitable and influential films of his … Continue reading →
Genisys or Lysis?
*** Spoiler Alert *** By Brandon Engel: When Schwarzenegger said, “I’ll be back,” he meant it – again, and now again. Beginning with the first Terminator film in 1984, the franchise has steadily delivered sequels for over three decades. The … Continue reading →
Today’s Birthday Boy
Born July 19, 1927: Richard E. Geis Dick Geis was an urbane, funny fanwriter with a genius for getting pros involved in his fanzine and presiding over their personal feuds in his pages. Today we’d call those kerfuffles. Whether titled Psychotic, … Continue reading →
Pixel Scroll 7/19
(1) Jim Davis, who was on the set while they shot the second episode of Star Trek:The Next Generation, recalls “Patrick Stewart’s trailer still had a handwritten sign on it (by him) that said ‘Unknown British Shakespearean Actor’).” (2) The … Continue reading →\
2015 Curt Siodmak Awards
Science Fiction Club Deutschland has announced the winners of the 2015 Curd Siodmak Preis (Curt Siodmak Award) for works shown in German language for the first time in the previous year. The percentage of vote received is in parentheses. Best … Continue reading →
Wolf’s Empire Is On The Way
By David Klaus: I was looking at SDCC videos on YouTube, including the first of three parts of the Babylon 5 cast panel, during which Claudia Christian mentioned that by the time of next year’s SDCC her novel Wolf’s Empire … Continue reading →
Anne Morrel Passes Away
LASFSian Anne Morrel passed away July 17 after a 5-year long illness. She joined LASFS in 1987, worked on many Loscons, and actively participated in club service projects. She is survived by her husband of 30 years, William Ellern.… Continue reading →
