News of the Week

Four named to Hall of Fame

embers of the newly created Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame announced they have selected A.E. van Vogt, Jack Williamson, John Campbell and Hugo Gernsback as the Hall's inaugural inductees. The announcement was made June 12 and will be followed by an induction ceremony to be held July 12 in Lawrence, Kan.

The four honorees were chosen for "their continued excellence and long-time contribution to the science fiction and fantasy genre." Williamson will reportedly attend the ceremony in Kansas, while van Vogt will accept his award at the World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim, Calif., in August.

Both Gernsback and Campbell have been given the award posthumously.

The White House wants its sci-fi

n June 14 a White House official called Dick Ross, the vice president, network operations for USA Networks, to ask one important question...how could they get the Sci-Fi Channel at the White House and Camp David?

Ross told officials that District Cablevision would make the channel available to Washington, D.C., on June 24, but Camp David was another matter. Since the presidential retreat is not wired for cable, Camp David officials needed authorization to descramble the satellite signal so they could receive it via satellite dish. USA Networks' Chairman, CEO and President Kay Koplovitz gave her resounding okay.

Gibson gives fans a sneak peek at his new novel

illiam Gibson previewed his forthcoming novel Idoru in the Technology '96 section of the May 30 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Fans were treated to a large excerpt from the novel, which revolves around Chia McKenzie, a Seattle teen who sets out to discover if the lead singer of her favorite band is really going to marry a Japanese software agent, a virtual construct called an idoru.

Rolling Stone said Gibson's novel answers the question , "How 'real' are today's stars?" The father of cyberpunk also tackles the issue of what will happen when the Web allows anyone to be a star.

Idoru will be published in September by Putnam.

New Dune newsgroup? Not this time

bid to create a new, unmoderated Dune newsgroup under the rec.arts.sf hierarchy was put on hold earlier this month after proponents failed to garner the necessary support during a June 5 vote. The final tally was 142 votes in favor of the new group and 48 against, with one abstention and nine invalid votes. While the effort received the necessary two-thirds majority, it fell short of the requirement that at least 100 more people vote for the new group than against it.

The bid originated out of the alt.fan.dune newsgroup, whose members complained of too many off-topic messages generated by cross-posting to multiple newsgroups. They hoped incorporating Dune discussions under rec.arts.sf would decrease the amount of off-topic posting while drawing more Dune fans into their discussions.

Under Usenet guidelines, Dune fans will have to wait six months before they can try their luck with another vote.

Pocket releases Star Trek: Invasion crossover

n June 10 Pocket Books released the first two novels in its four-part crossover series, Star Trek: Invasion. The crossover spans all of the continuing Star Trek series that Pocket publishes, including The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

The crossover begins in The Original Series with First Strike as the Klingon Empire sends a distress message to Captain Kirk when a mysterious, invulnerable starship invades Klingon space. The Soldiers of Fear picks up the story in The Next Generation when the aliens reappear in the Alpha Quadrant -- long after the Federation had thought them destroyed.

Deep Space Nine becomes involved in Time's Enemy when Captain Sisko et al. discover the wreckage of the Defiant, the victor of the apocalyptic battle waged against the aliens. The saga concludes in The Final Fury as a Federation distress call leads the starlost crew of Voyager to the very source of the invasion...and a possible way home.

The crossover will conclude with the release of Time's Enemy and The Final Fury on July 10.

Babylon 5 renewed for a fourth season

abylon 5 producer John Copeland announced June 7 on America Online that B5 had officially been renewed by Warner Bros. for a fourth season. B5 Writer/Director/Creator Joe Michael Stracynski confirmed the announcement two days later during the Wolf 359 convention in Great Britain.

Although B5 has consistently received high marks from fans, its status has been in doubt virtually since its inception due to mediocre ratings, and it has often been rumored on Warner's chopping block. Stracynski's announcement came unexpectedly during a question-and-answer session at the convention, and the news was reportedly greeted with a round of deafening applause from the audience.

Briefly noted...

Roddenberry, Leary take final trip together

The ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry will be launched into space this fall alongside those of LSD guru Timothy Leary and 29 other people, according to a report in Entertainment Weekly. Roddenberry's ashes had earlier been taken into orbit and returned to Earth during a space shuttle mission.

ID4 crew to tackle Fantastic Voyage

While this summer's surefire hit Independence Day has yet to open in theaters, the creative team behind ID4 -- Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin -- already has plans for another science fiction movie, this time a remake of the classic film, Fantastic Voyage. The project will have to wait until the pair completes the American version of Godzilla, which is next on their list.

Sci-Fi Channel picks up Earth 2, Seaquest, M.A.N.T.I.S.

The Sci-Fi Channel has acquired exclusive, off-network rights to the science fiction series Earth 2, Seaquest and M.A.N.T.I.S. The shows will air in the 1996-97 season and together comprise 105 hours of programming.

Twister director options Galileo's Wake

Blue Tulip Productions has optioned Galileo's Wake, a screenplay reportedly detailing a rescue team's attempt to save the survivors of a luxury space liner that collides with a comet. Blue Tulip is headed by Twister director Jan DeBont, but there is no word yet if he will direct the new film.

Shatner sees stars on the ice

William Shatner is set to play in yet another starring role -- this time as hockey legend and All-Star great Gordie Howe. Shatner will star in a movie based on the book My Three Hockey Players, which was written by Howe's wife, Colleen. The book details Howe's return from retirement to play hockey with his sons Mark and Marty.

Paul Anderson to helm new SF flicks

Paul Anderson has signed on to direct two forthcoming science fiction movies, Soldier and Event Horizon. Anderson won recent recognition as the director of Mortal Kombat.

Soldier reportedly deals with a futuristic mercenary hired to defend a backward planet against invading hordes. Event Horizon follows a rescue crew (sound familiar?) sent to recover a starship that had mysteriously disappeared. Naturally the crew encounters aliens.

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