"it was a turning point in his career"

[eldritchhobbit]

I'm back from a fantastic experience in Tucson. Today and tomorrow I will be giving final exams.

Happy belated birthday wishes to keerawa and lyria_theringer. I hope you each had a wonderful day and will enjoy a terrific year to come!

A few quick notes:

* The first volume of the highly anticipated The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff (the equivalent of The History of Middle-Earth for The Lord of the Rings) is now available - ahead of schedule!

* EW.com has ranked The Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies and TV from the Past 25 Years. I'll be honest: when I found Starship Troopers on the list, I stopped reading.

* The finalists have been announced for this year's Sidewise Awards for works of alternate history.

* The Science Fiction Research Association has announced that Algis Budrys is recipient of this year's Pilgrim Award, which honors lifetime contributions to SF/fantasy scholarship, and Michael Levy is recipient of this year's Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service.

* Native American author and professor Debra Magpie Earling has won a coveted Guggenheim Fellowship.


His head was swimming, and he was far from certain even of the direction they had been going in when he had his fall. He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it. He put the ring in his pocket almost without thinking: certainly it did not seem of any particular use at the moment. He did not go much further, but sat down on the cold floor and gave himself up to complete miserableness.
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Comments

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

* EW.com has ranked The Top 25 Sci-Fi Movies and TV from the Past 25 Years. I'll be honest: when I found Starship Troopers on the list, I stopped reading.

I hate how EW always makes their lists where each page is a separate link.

And I won't debate the merits of Starship Troopers, but I will say that there's pretty slim pickings for true Sci-Fi over the last 25 years. There's still enough that they could have left it off, though. But I think this ties into your "people don't know what Sci-Fi really is" theorem.

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I've ganked this for discussion on my new blog at RevSF, where I quote you. :)

http://www.revolutionsf.com/bb/weblog_entry.php?e=282

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Sweet! Thanks. I love it when I get a shout out from the Squid Man!

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

You are most welcome! I praise you every chance I get.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I hate how EW always makes their lists where each page is a separate link.

Me too.

And I won't debate the merits of Starship Troopers

*shudder* I can think of 25 better SF films and TV series in the last FIVE years. Poor Heinlein, as if he needed another reason to roll over in his grave.

Um, have they ever heard of Babylon 5? Millennium? I won't continue, because the list is just too long. *sigh*

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

PS. You're right about the definition of SF. The fact that The Matrix is number one just shows these people don't know the genre. They're picking out what the outsider "person on the street" might think SF is.

Dark City (which is also missing from the list) is a superior film to The Matrix in every possible way.

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

Dark City (which is also missing from the list) is a superior film to The Matrix in every possible way.

100% right on the money. I still remember when I watched The Matrix for the fist time, that as much as I liked it, afterwards I was telling people that the movie was "Dark City with guns."

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I still remember when I watched The Matrix for the fist time, that as much as I liked it, afterwards I was telling people that the movie was "Dark City with guns."

Ha! :)

[sneezythesquid.livejournal.com]

Babylon 5?

Didn't you get the memo? It's now the in thing to dump on B5. A trend I am happy to buck.

But feel free to go over to my blog and shout the omissions to the rooftops! :)

[sittingduck1313.livejournal.com]

And they didn't include Babylon 5, the show that broke the unintended stagnancy created by the Trek franchise. That list is a bit of a joke.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

That list is a bit of a joke.


I agree with you.

[penandnotebook]

Aw, "The Hobbit"! I read that when I was eight and I've loved it unconditionally ever since.
Beautiful way to star off a cold Monday.

Thank you so much.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, you're most welcome! :)

[arymetore.livejournal.com]

They did at least get a few in there that do deserve it even if they missed mainstream popularity. Such as Firefly/Serenity (#15). I do agree they put a bunch of lousy stuff on there and more of it on the popularity side than whether it was good sci-fi (things like Futurerama?!).

Yes, their worst pick was Starship Troopers... Or should I say Bug Hunt? It doesn't deserve the name of Starship Troopers.

I also noticed they had a lot of TV series on there. Quantum Leap was a very cool one, but this comes back to why didn't they have B5? What about that show did not say sci-fi in any shape, form, or fashion? And enough to go for five seasons, have at least one spin-off, and create a couple of full movies. Or Farscape... A lot of good stuff left off the list.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Yes! I completely agree. It favors the popular/mainstream over the good SF and leaves some great SF off completely. If it hadn't included Firefly/Serenity, I think my head might've exploded.

Bug Hunt... LOL! Very appropriate.

[arymetore.livejournal.com]

Hehe, I found it interesting in their Popblog where you could tell them what you thought of their list they had this opening:

Call it a hunch, but I'm betting that a few of you aren't in fanboy heaven after flipping through today's "Sci-Fi 25" photo gallery, counting down EW's picks for the best science-fiction movies and TV shows of the past quarter century. (I imagine fans of Babylon 5, Farscape, and Dark City are especially miffed).

And indeed they are right... course some of the people are picking movies or series well outside the parameters of the list, but there is a lot of vehemence against the list.

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

when I found Starship Troopers on the list, I stopped reading.


It wasn't "V" that made you stop? Ugh.

Welcome back!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ha! :) Thanks.

Welcome back!

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

always nice to see you in LJ land.

good luck with finals. Hope things go smoothly!

Re: Welcome back!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I hope all's going well with you.

Thanks very much!

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

I'm Ok but, things have been busy!

[korg20000bc.livejournal.com]

Remember Space, Above and Beyond? I thought that was an excellent series, though short lived. Lots of cross-over of actors from X-files (Davis Duchovny as a replicant or android) and Millenium. Even an alien walked through the scene in the episode - The Curse of Frank Black.

Is there ever going to be a genuine win for Sci/fi fans? A series that is excellent and TV execs don't axe before the creator has the time to tell their stories?

Matthew

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Excellent point! That was another series that was gone too soon, never fully appreciated, and now too soon forgotten.

A series that is excellent and TV execs don't axe before the creator has the time to tell their stories?

Good question!