X-Files Earns 16 Emmy Nominations
he Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced nominations for the 50th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, and to no one's surprise The X-Files headed the list of speculative fiction TV shows.
Chris Carter's hit series earned 16 nominations in all, highlighted by nods for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and an Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series nomination for Carter himself.
The NBC miniseries Merlin came next with 15 nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie. NBC also scored big with 3rd Rock from the Sun, which earned eight nominations, including one for Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
3rd Rock was followed by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine with six nominations and Buffy The Vampire Slayer with three nominations. Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict, Millennium, Star Trek: Voyager, Stargate SG-1 and Xena: Warrior Princess all earned two nominations.
Finally, Babylon 5, The House of Frankenstein, The Hunger, Peter Benchley's Creature, Roar, The Visitor and The Warlords: Battle for the Galaxy all earned one nomination. Also of interest to SF fans, Tom Hanks' 12-part docudrama From the Earth to the Moon earned 17 nominations, and Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart received an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie nomination for his role in USA Network's Moby Dick.
The Emmy Awards will be announced during a gala presentation ceremony that will be broadcast by NBC on Sunday, Sept. 13. For more information on the Emmys and a complete list of nominees, visit http://www.emmys.org.
Gary Cole To Lead Crusade
ctor Gary Cole, who most SF fans will remember as the ominous sheriff Lucas Buck from American Gothic, has been cast as the lead character in the upcoming Babylon 5 spinoff TV series Crusade, his agent said.
Although details are scarce, Cole will reportedly play a character named Matthew Gideon, the captain of the Interstellar Alliance starship Excalibur.
J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of both Babylon 5 and Crusade, said, "We're very excited about having Gary Cole on the show, because of the terrific range he brings to his work." Straczynski added that actor Peter Woodward had been cast in the role of Galen, a technomage who will be a recurring character in the series, while actress Carrie Dobro will play a character named Dureena.
In Crusade, the starship Excalibur is on a mission to save Earth from a bio-engineered plague that will wipe out humanity within five years if it's not stopped. The ship's crew, made up of Minbari-trained Rangers, will journey to the ancient places of the galaxy searching for a cure. Crusade will debut on TNT in January 1999.
DeBoer Confirmed As New Dax
icole deBoer, the actress who was most recently seen in the Sci-Fi Channel original series Mission Genesis, will be joining the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine next season, Sci-Fi Wire has confirmed.
DeBoer will reportedly play a character named Ezri Dax, who succeeds Jadzia--formerly played by Terry Farrell--as host to the Trill symbiont Dax.
In an interesting plot twist, Ezri will supposedly be one of the few unwilling Trill hosts, agreeing to join with Dax only to save Dax's life. SF fans might also recognize deBoer from her appearances on Psi Factor, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Outer Limits and Forever Knight.
Hartman Stays In 3rd Rock Finale
he producers of NBC's hit SF sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun have decided to leave the late comedian Phil Hartman in the show's season finale after all, according to USA Today.
Originally 3rd Rock executive producers Bonnie and Terry Turner were going to excise Hartman's role in the first episode of the two-part cliffhanger after the comedian was found murdered earlier this year.
The Turners said it would have been a disservice to Hartman to simply write him out of the episode, and they had planned to replace his character entirely. However, USA Today recently quoted the Turners as saying, "We acted out of respect and friendship first, then realized it's a great performance and we should leave it in."
Plans now call for the finale, which already aired on NBC and which will be rerun in September, to be shown in its entirety with only a minor edit, to include a line that mentions a death threat to Hartman's character.
USPS Plans Star Trek Stamp
tar Trek will be one of 15 memorable events of the 1960s that the United States Post Office plans to honor as part of its "Celebrate the Century" commemorative stamp and education program.
Trek--along with '60s moments such as the first moonwalk--was given the stamp of approval during a nationwide poll that asked the American public to select three "stamp subjects" in each of five categories.
There's no word yet on just what the Star Trek stamp will look like, but the USPS has said it will be available in post offices everywhere starting in September 1999.
Haldeman Wins Campbell, Flynn Wins Sturgeon
oe Haldeman's Hugo-nominated book Forever Peace earned the 1998 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel.
The award is named after the late editor of Astounding Science Fiction Magazine (now called Analog), who is considered the "father of modern science fiction."
Michael F. Flynn's story "House of Dreams" won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short science fiction of the year. The Sturgeon Award was established in honor of the late SF author Theodore Sturgeon, who is regarded as one of four writers who helped establish the golden age of science fiction.
Both awards were presented July 10 in Lawrence, Kan., during the annual two-week Writers Workshop in Science Fiction, held at the University of Kansas. Also during the ceremony, Robert A. Heinlein, Catherine L. Moore, Frederik Pohl and Hal Clement were inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, as previously reported in Sci-Fi Wire.
Obituary: Robert A.W. Lowndes, 81
obert A.W. Lowndes, a noted science fiction author and editor, died Tuesday, July 14, at the Village House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Newport, R.I., at the age of 81.
Mr. Lowndes was born in Bridgeport, Conn., on Sept. 4, 1916, and had most recently worked as an editor for Gernsback Publishing before retiring in 1992.
Mr. Lowndes began his career as a science fiction editor in 1940 with Columbia Publications, working on such magazines as Future Fiction and Science Fiction Quarterly. He served as editor of the SF line at Avalon Books from 1955-67, and he also wrote five novels, including a collaboration with fellow SF author James Blish.
Mr. Lowndes was active in SF fandom and was a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is survived by a stepson, Peter Rogalin of Glen Rock, N.J.; a brother, Harry I. Lowndes Jr. of Kansas City, Mo.; a sister, Ruth C. Lowndes of Middleton, R.I.; and four grandchildren.
TAFF Deadline Extended
he nomination deadline for the 1999 North America-to-Europe Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund race has been extended until midnight on Aug. 15.
In order to be eligible for the race, prospective candidates need to send the TAFF administrator their signed nominations, a 100-word platform and a $20 candidacy bond check.
The winning candidate will travel from North America to Reconvene, the 50th National British Science Fiction Convention, which will be held from April 2-5, 1999, in Liverpool, England. TAFF was created in 1953 for the purpose of providing funds to bring well-known and popular fans familiar to those on both sides of the ocean across the Atlantic.
Visit the TAFF Web site for more information.
Godzilla Falls To Pocket Monsters
espite drawing a record-setting 500,000 moviegoers on its opening day in Japan, the Dean Devlin/Roland Emmerich film Godzilla isn't faring all that well in the Land of the Rising Sun, according to Variety.
After just one week in theaters, Toho's infamous radioactive lizard relinquished the top box-office spot to Pocket Monsters, the feature film version of the popular Japanese animated TV series of the same name.
In fact, Godzilla earned just $2.6 million during its second weekend in release, playing on 381 screens. Meanwhile, Pocket Monsters took in an estimated $3.4 million on only 250 screens. Toho probably isn't too worried about the monster battle, however, as the Japanese studio has a stake in both films.
Farrellys To Launch Space Man
eter and Bobby Farrelly, the writing/producing/directing team behind movies such as Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary, will next turn their talents loose on the SF comedy The Space Man, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film, described as "a buddy comedy," was pitched by writer David Dorfman, who recently sold a script called The Guest to New Line Cinema.
The Farrellys are currently enjoying the success of There's Something About Mary, which earned $13 million during its debut weekend and which has been reviewed favorably by critics. Casting and production dates for the The Space Man have not yet been set.
New Line Buys Little Green Men
ew Line Cinema has picked up the film rights to Christopher Buckley's satirical SF novel Little Green Men, according to published reports.
The book is based on the premise that supposed alien abductions and encounters with UFOs have all been staged by a secret government agency that was created in the 1940s to make the Russians think the United States had access to extraterrestrial technology.
The agency's most recent ruse is to "abduct" a well-known Washington TV host and convince him that aliens and UFOs are real. However, the scheme backfires when the host discovers his abduction was a hoax, and he threatens to expose the government's secret. Random House plans to publish Buckley's novel next spring.
Jackson Dives Into Deep Blue Sea
scar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson has joined the cast of director Renny Harlin's underwater SF thriller Deep Blue Sea, according to Variety.
Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting) and Saffron Burrows (Circle of Friends) are also attached to the film, about a group of marine researchers trapped in a sinking science facility that's being besieged by intelligent, genetically enhanced sharks.
Jackson, who also appeared in the underwater SF flick Sphere, recently completed shooting his cameo role in the first Stars Wars prequel.
Viper Goes Higher-Tech
ans of Paramount's futuristic auto-adventure series Viper can expect to see a new driver and a new car when the show's third season begins later this year.
James McCaffery, who was behind the wheel of Viper when the show had its short-lived run on NBC in 1994, will reprise his role as Joe Astor, a former mobster turned cop whose main anti-crime weapon is a high-tech Dodge Viper.
The series' other star, a trademark red 1992 Viper Roadster, is also being replaced. McCaffery's new set of wheels will be a 1998 cobalt blue Viper Coupe that will sport, among other options, the ability to hover and to drive underwater.
Verhoeven Will Direct Hollow Man
irector Paul Verhoeven, best known to SF fans for Starship Troopers, Robocop and Total Recall, has agreed to direct The Hollow Man for Columbia, according to Variety. The film was written by Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One) and tells the story of a man who is turned invisible.
