News of the Week

X-Files, Gulliver's Travels receive 17 Emmy nominations

he X-Files and Gulliver's Travels led this year's speculative fiction field in the preliminary Emmy ballot, earning 17 nominations between the two of them. The X-Files was nominated in eight categories, while Gulliver's Travels garnered a hefty nine nominations.

The X-Files was cited in categories ranging from individual achievement in cinematography to best writing for a drama, including a nomination for Gillian Anderson as best actress in a drama series. Gulliver's Travels received a nomination in virtually every category for which it was eligible.

The Emmys will be presented on Sept. 8 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif. They will be broadcast live on ABC and hosted by Paul Reiser. See our complete list of speculative fiction Emmy nominees.

Card earns $1 million for rights to Ender's Game

hartoff Productions, in association with Fresco Pictures, has acquired the film rights to the novel Ender's Game from author Orson Scott Card for a reported $1 million. The deal will also pay Card $500,000 to write the screenplay and an undisclosed percentage of the film's earnings.

Fresco announced the deal on July 17 and said that while Card had received numerous offers for Ender's Game over the years, he had been holding out for a deal that would preserve the integrity of the story.

"There've been previous offers on the table, but I went with Chartoff because of their history of respect for writers and their stories," Card said in press statement. No further details were available.

Pat Cadigan hospitalized for gall bladder problems

uthor Pat Cadigan underwent a successful operation to remove her gall bladder on Saturday, July 27, after being admitted to Shawnee Mission Hospital in Kansas as an emergency case. Cadigan's husband, Chris Fowler, reported that she had been having trouble with her gall bladder for some time, but the problem had only recently been diagnosed.

Cadigan was expected home as early as Sunday, July 28, to begin her recovery. She is the author of the novels Mindplayers and Synners, as well as many other works.

Beaulieu departs MST3K

race Beaulieu, known to thousands of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans as both the evil Doctor Clayton Forrester and the voice of Crow T. Robot, will not be returning to MST3K when the show begins its new season next year. Beaulieu made the announcement in late July.

"This is not a decision I make lightly, however, after eight years, 150 shows and a movie, it is time for me to move on," Beaulieu wrote in an e-mail message to his fans. He went on to say, "As for me, it's time to comb my hair, put down the puppet and step out into the universe."

Beaulieu is the third major cast member to leave MST3K in the last few years. He was preceded by show's creator, Joel Hodgson, as well as Frank Coniff, who portrayed Forrester's on-screen sidekick, TV's Frank.

Roddenberry's daughter disinherited

awn Roddenberry, the daughter of Gene Roddenberry by his first marriage, was disinherited from her father's will after losing what may be the largest disinheritance case in U.S. history. Dawn lost a $500,000 inheritance and one quarter of the remaining Roddenberry estate after an attempt to claim that Gene was incompetent to write or unduly influenced in the writing of his will.

Roddenberry's daughter brought her suit to court in spite of a clause in Gene's will stipulating that anyone contesting the will be disinherited. Although she tried to withdraw her suit before the case began, a judge ruled that Dawn could be disinherited, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeals.

Batman joined by Super...er...model

upermodel Elle Macpherson has joined the cast of Batman & Robin and will star alongside George Clooney as Bruce Wayne's latest Bat girlfriend. Macpherson is the latest big-name talent to join the movie's cast, which already includes Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze, Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy and Clooney as Batman.

Chris O'Donnell will reprise the role of Robin he made famous in Batman Forever, and Alicia Silverstone has been signed to play Batgirl. The film is slated to begin shooting in the fall.

B5 can't catch a break...or a hijacker

Federal Express truck en route to New York with artwork for an upcoming TV Guide article on Babylon 5 was hijacked at gun point, according to B5's executive producer, J. Michael Straczynski. Straczynski said this was another hard-luck accident for B5, which has suffered a number of bizarre accidents over its three-year run.

TV Guide was covering B5 as part of its July 27 science fiction roundup. Straczynski said the magazine will make do with older artwork from the show.

Eggleton leads the field for 11th Annual Chesley Awards

ob Eggelton topped this year's nominees for the Annual Chesley Awards, garnering four nominations for his published work as well as a nod for artistic achievement. The nominees were announced earlier this year by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, which presents the Chesleys annually in recognition of individual artistic works and achievements.

This year's Chesleys will be presented at a ceremony on Aug. 30 during L.A.con III, the 54th World Science Fiction Convention, which will be held in Anaheim, Calif. Other notable nominees include Tom Kidd, Michael Whelan, Frank Frazetta and Don Maitz.

The Chesleys are named after the great astronomical artist, Chesley Bonestell. See our complete listing of this year's nominees and the categories they will be competing in.

Sawyer tops Aurora Awards

obert J. Sawyer earned another feather in his cap for his novel The Terminal Experiment, which won this year's Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Award for best long-form work in English. Earlier this year Sawyer earned the Nebula Award for the novel, which is also up for the prestigious Hugo Award.

This year's Canadian Awards, known as the Auroras, were presented on July 21 in Calgary, Alberta at Con-Version XIII. The complete list of winners includes:

Best Long-Form Work in English

The Terminal Experiment, by Robert J. Sawyer

Best Short-Form Work in English

"The Perseids," Robert Charles Wilson

Best Other Work in English

Reboot, by BLT Productions (TV series)

Best Long-Form Work in French

Les Voyageurs Malgre Eux, by Elisabeth Vonarburg

Best Short-Form Work in French

"Equinoxe," by Yves Meynard

Best Other Work in French

Solaris, by Joel Champetier (Magazine)

Artistic Achievement

Jean-Pierre Normand

Fanzine

Under the Ozone Hole, by Karl Johanson and John Herbert

Fan Organizational

Jean-Louis Trudel

Fan Achievement (Other)

Larry Stewart

Bloom, Kent receive Wolheim scholarships

he New York Science Fiction Society recently awarded 1996 Donald A. & Elsie B. Wollheim Memorial Scholarships to Aaron Kent and Jeremy Bloom. Both recipients will receive $600 to attend the Clarion writer's workshops.

Kent, of Cold Springs, N.Y., will attend the Clarion Writer's Workshop in Lansing, Mich. Bloom, who lives in Schenectady, N.Y., will attend the Clarion West Writer's Workshop in Seattle, Wash.

The scholarship fund was established in 1989 and was first renamed in 1991 in memory of the late Donald A. Wollheim. Earlier this year, the fund was once again renamed, this time to include the name of the late Elsie B. Wollheim, who helped her husband found DAW Books. The scholarship was created to help beginning science fiction and fantasy writers from the New York Metropolitan area attend either Clarion workshop.

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