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Stalwart Sci-Fi Author Ben Bova Has Passed Away

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 20:10:36 +0000

Ben Bova, revered in the science fiction community for his work as an author, an editor, and a scientist, passed away this past weekend at the age of 88. First announced on social media by his family and later confirmed by sources, Bova passed away primarily due to COVID-related pneumonia. The former president of both the Science Fiction Writers of America guild and the National Space Society, Bova wrote over 200 works of fact and fiction, including over 100 sci-fi books. He was a six-time Hugo Award winner, and the former editor of Analog and Omni Magazine. Kathryn Brusco, Bova’s niece by marriage, first shared the news on Twitter; later, Bova’s son Ken provided a proper eulogy on Bova’s website. In it, he said: “It is a common wish to visit the future and report back to the present; to time travel. Ben Bova was that time traveler; his books and short stories: the journals from the future. In his various writings, Dr. Ben Bova predicted — years before they happened: the race to the Moon during the 1960s, satellites using the Sun to power the Earth’s technologies, the discovery of organic compounds in interstellar space, virtual reality and the internet, human […]

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Eva Green Fires Back Over Canceled Sci-Fi Flick ‘A Patriot’

Jax Motes — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 22:23:08 +0000

Late last week, it was revealed that Eva Green was being sued by White Lantern (Britannica) Ltd who claimed that Green, who was attached to star in and producer, derailed a planned sci-fi movie, ‘A Patriot’. White Lantern is suing Green for £4 million (∼$5.22 million US). Green is countersuing for £800,000 (∼$1.04 million US), because she states that her contract was “pay or play,” meaning she was guaranteed to be paid whether the film got made or not. She is further stating that the cancellation of ‘A Patriot’ was entirely the decision of White Lantern. Her attorneys released the following statement: This Statement is being made on behalf of Eva Green, for the sake of clarity, in light of recent reports in the media of the legal action she has brought against White Lantern Film (Britannica) Ltd relating to a proposed feature film provisionally entitled “A Patriot”. Ms Green initiated the legal proceedings against White Lantern Film (Britannica) Limited because they are in breach of contract. All the details of Ms Green’s legal action are set out within her initial claim lodged at the London High Court on 4 June. In response White Lantern has made a number of […]

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Eva Green Is Suing And Being Sued Over Her Aborted Sci-Fi Movie ‘A Patriot’

Jax Motes — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 23:44:49 +0000

Eva Green is embroiled in a legal battle over the aborted sci-fi film ‘A Patriot’. Green would have starred and served as executive producer. She is suing the production company, White Lantern (Britannica) Ltd… and vice versa! White Lantern is suing Green for £4 million (∼$5.22 million US) for derailing ‘A Patriot’, saying she owes at least $1 million in damages and should compensate them for the loss of revenue that the film would have brought in. She is suing White Lantern for £800,000 (∼$1.04 million US), saying that she had a “pay or play” contract meaning she would get paid whether the film got made or not. She is also asking for the company to pay her legal fees. It appears that White Lantern was taken over by Sherbone Media Finance, and gave “notice of termination of the artist agreement,” stating that Green had breached her agreement, making her ineligible for the pay or play fee, but according to Green, Sherbone failed to explain just what this breach was. White Lantern asserts that Green attempted to inflate the film’s budget by £250,000 ($326,000) to hire additional crew, even though Green offered to take this amount out of her own paycheck. […]

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Theater Chains Sue New Jersey After The State Refuses To Allow Them To Reopen This Month

Jax Motes — Mon, 03 Aug 2020 19:14:07 +0000

Yuck. The argument for and against reopening movie theaters just went in a very nasty and litigious direction. New Jersey’s Governor Philip Murphy, and the state health department have refused to allow theaters to reopen in mid-August, despite a carefully laid-out plan on the parts of distributors AMC, Cinemark, Regal, and more, to safely open back up for business in the age of the coronavirus. The plan was put into place to accommodate the opening of Christoper Nolan’s ‘Tenet’, the first major studio pic to arrive since the mass outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The Warner Brothers film is scheduled to open in the US on Thursday, September 3. On behalf of these mega-chains, the National Association of Theatre Owners sued Murphy (personally, it sound like!) for violating their First Amendment rights. The judge rejected the request for a temporary restraining order, stating that the theaters could have filed a legal action sooner and pointed out that other states are backpedaling on reopenings after surges in COVID-19 cases. What the theaters are really crying foul over is that New Jersey has allowed churches to reopen, and they are arguing that the state has put a priority on religious freedom of […]

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Watch The SpaceX Crew Dragon’s Return To Earth LIVE This Sunday On ‘Space Launch Live: Splashdown’

Jax Motes — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 18:59:21 +0000

Following the record ratings of their coverage of the SpaceX Crew Dragon launch in May, Discovery and Science are teaming up again to cover the craft’s return next weekend. The telecast will be called ‘Space Launch Live: Splashdown.” The astronauts plan to land at sea, something that hasn’t been done since 1975. This was the first US crew to voyage to outer space in a privately built craft. The SpaceX Crew Dragon was propelled by the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The destination was the International Space Station. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were the astronauts aboard and they will also be the two-man crew of the return journey. Walton Goggins narrated the first two-hour special. This special will be made in partnership with the Washington Post and its staff writer Christian Davenport, one of the country’s leading chroniclers of the space industry. Davenport will co-host the special, which will also include commentary from “current and former astronauts including Mike Massimino and Garrett Reisman, top engineers and other special guests, including adventurer and avid explorer Josh Gates. TV personality Chris Jacobs will pick up where he left off as host of the live return, and Emmy-winning journalist David Kerley will also […]

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‘Daredevil’ Actor Peter Shinkoda Accuses Former Marvel TV Head Jeph Loeb Of Anti-Asian Racism

Jax Motes — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 12:00:40 +0000

Jeph Loeb oversaw the numerous Marvel live-action television series that aired over the last few years, until it was announced in October that the existing TV shows would cease production, and that moving forward, all live-action Marvel shows would be overseen by Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, which produces the successful movies. Loeb almost immediately announced his exit from the position he’d occupied for nine years. Under his tenure, he helped deliver to ABC ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, ‘Agent Carter’, and ‘Inhumans’, as well as Freeform’s ‘Cloak & Dagger’, and Hulu’s ‘Runaways’. But most successfully, he delivered the adults-only Netflix brigade of ‘Daredevil’, ‘Jessica Jones’, ‘Luke Cage’, ‘Iron Fist’, ‘Defenders’, and ‘The Punisher’. While these shows were pretty ethnically diverse– more so than the movies at least– it may come as a surprise that one co-star says that Loeb fostered an environment meant to stifle diversity. Peter Shinkoda recurred during Seasons 1 and 2 as the Hand member Nobu Yoshioka. He now says that Loeb openly squelched plans the writers had to further develop his character and that of Madame Gao (played by Wai Ching Ho). Speaking to the #SaveDaredevil Youtube page, Shinkoda revealed: “I’m not into really […]

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Justice Con: Ray Fisher Has Collected A Lot Of Evidence And Personal Accounts To Back His Charges Against Joss Whedon

Jax Motes — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 11:00:39 +0000

While most eyes were on SDCC’s first Con@Home, another virtual fan expo, Justice Con, took place simultaneously, with a focus on the upcoming Zack Snyder re-edit of ‘Justice League’. This was a fan-organized event, so it wasn’t packed with a lot of stars (look for more of them to participate in the official DC Fandome in August), but two cast members contributed– Ray Fisher who played Cyborg/Victor Stone, and Joe Porter, who played his father, Silas Stone. Fisher has made waves lately, due to accusations leveled against Joss Whedon, who took over directing after Snyder departed after the death of his daughter. Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Accountability>Entertainment — Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) July 1, 2020 Fisher has since said that he is still under contract with Warner Brothers and signed a nondisclosure agreement that prevented him from going into details about his beef with Whedon. During his appearance at Justice Con, Fisher said: “I don’t want to compare them in any way, shape, or form. But what I will say toward the Joss Whedon […]

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The Duffer Brothers Are Being Sued For Stealing The Idea Behind ‘Stranger Things’… Again!

Jax Motes — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 21:06:12 +0000

For the second time, the Duffer Brothers (Matt and Ross) and Netflix are being sued by someone claiming they stole the idea for ‘Stranger Things’. This time, the suit comes from Irish Rover Entertainment, who allege that ‘Stranger Things’ was swiped from the script for their show called ‘Totem’, written by Jeffrey Kennedy. The suit accuses the Duffer Brothers of stealing “plot, sequence, characters, theme, dialogue, mood, and setting, as well as copyrighted concept art.” (‘Totem’ never got made, by the way.) Last year, Netflix and the Duffer Brothers had to go to court to defend their project against Charlie Kessler who accused them of stealing the idea from his 2012 award-winning short ‘Montauk’, which he had hoped to turn into a feature-length film– a plan he reportedly pitched to the Duffers in 2014, at the Tribeca Film Festival. This time, allegedly, a man named Aaron Sims worked closely with Kennedy to develop ‘Totem’, and was then hired to create concept art for ‘Stranger Things’ Seasons 1 and 2. According to The Wrap, the inspiration for ‘Totem’ was the death of Kennedy’s childhood friend, Clint Osthimer, who suffered from epilepsy. Per the lawsuit: “During their childhood together in rural Indiana, […]

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‘Buffy’ Stunt Performer Says Joss Whedon Told Her She Could Only Continue Working If She Dumped Her Boyfriend

Jax Motes — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 14:00:59 +0000

‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt has come forward to call series creator Joss Whedon an “egomaniac,” while his wife, stunt performer Sophia Crawford followed up with a more in-depth recollection of an instance when Whedon demanded she dump Pruit, who was then her boyfriend, if she wanted to continue working on ‘Buffy’. As Pruitt told Metro UK: “We had a great relationship, Joss and I, but he changed as the show took off… By season four I’d become fed up and told them I was going to leave to direct Second Unit on another series. The producers told me that Joss reacted as if I was having an affair or something behind his back.” It appears that Whedon retaliated by telling Crawford she would be fired unless she broke up with Pruitt. As Crawford said: “I was called into the office and I was given an ultimatum. And they said to me, ‘Come back to the show, but you need to leave Jeff, or don’t come back’ And so I basically started crying. And I said ‘F you. That’s horrible, bye.” Upon his departure from ‘Buffy’, Pruitt penned a poem called “The Parable of the Knight” in which he cast […]

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‘Justice League’s Cyborg, Ray Fisher Praises His “Brother From Another Mother…Box” ‘Doom Patrol’s Cyborg, Joivan Wade

Jax Motes — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 13:00:08 +0000

Ray Fisher has been on quite a tirade on Twitter attacking Joss Whedon, the second director to work on Fisher’s first major motion picture, ‘Justice League’. But he has also used his social platform to shut down any rumors that he has any animosity directed at Joivan Wade. Both actors play the same role– DC’s half-man, half-computer crimefighter, Cyborg, a.k.a. Victor Stone. Fisher appeared in the role first, making a cameo in ‘Batman V Superman’ before appearing in a significant role in ‘Justice League’ in 2017. Wade made his debut last year on DC Universe’s TV series ‘Doom Patrol’, which just launched its second season on DC Universe and HBO Max. While it might seem natural to pit two actors playing the same role against one another, Fisher shut that right down. Keep doin’ your thing, @JoivanWade! If anybody out there has a problem with my cybernetic brother from another mother…box, do me a favor and unfollow me. If I catch you hating on him, I’m blocking you. #BORGLIFE https://t.co/c8eO0Kp6CM — Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) July 9, 2020 As you can see, Fisher reacted to one of Wade’s tweets, which featured the caption “2 pictures & 2 words… BOO-YAAH!” Following Fisher’s […]

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Ray Fisher Says Nondisclosure Agreement Prevents Him From Spilling Details About Joss Whedon’s Offensive Behavior During The Filming Of ‘Justice League’

Jax Motes — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 13:00:32 +0000

Last week, ‘Justice League’ actor Ray Fisher took to Twitter to backpedal on a statement in support of replacement director Joss Whedon, writing “I’d like to take a moment to forcefully retract every bit of this statement.” He followed that up with a tweet saying, “Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Accountability>Entertainment” He has not gone into detail about this behavior in question, and now it sounds as though he won’t be doing so anytime soon. During an Instagram Q&A, he declared: “I am still very much under contract and I am still very much under Non-Disclosure Agreement. So I’ve got to be very careful about what I say and how I say it, otherwise, I can get sued into oblivion. So just a disclaimer there. For the folks who were looking for more specifics in the moment right now, I’m sorry that I cannot give them to you in the moment right now. Just gotta make sure all your ducks are laid out in a row so you can go ahead and handle the […]

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Ray Fisher Releases Another Tweet Aimed At Joss Whedon; Alan Tudyk + Kevin Smith Chime In (Although They Shouldn’t Have)

Jax Motes — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 11:00:11 +0000

Following his incendiary tweet accusing Joss Whedon of “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior on the set of ‘Justice League’, Ray Fisher has followed up with another tweet. I believe Kai Cole and Charisma Carpenter. — Ray Fisher (@ray8fisher) July 3, 2020 Kai Cole is Whedon’s ex-wife. In 2017, as the #MeToo movement was building steam, she wrote an essay for The Wrap, including this statement: “Joss admitted that for the next decade and a half, he hid multiple affairs and a number of inappropriate emotional ones that he had with his actresses, co-workers, fans, and friends, while he stayed married to me.” She also revealed that Whedon used his “feminist” status to cover for his mistreatment of women, both real, and the characters in his various projects. Also in 2017, Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia Chase on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Angel’ stated that Whedon fired her after she got pregnant and didn’t bother to tell her in person. “I actually got a phone call from somebody in the press, which really sucked.” At 2009’s Dragon Con, Carpenter also said (via Telegraph): “What happened was that my relationship with Joss became strained. We all go through our […]

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‘The Expanse’s Cas Anvar Is The Latest Celebrity To Be Investigated After Sexual Misconduct Accusations

Jax Motes — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 12:00:47 +0000

Alcon Entertainment, the studio behind the Amazon Prime Video program ‘The Expanse’, has launched an investigation after multiple women have come forth with accusations of sexual misconduct on the part of Cas Anvar, who stars as Alex Kamal on the series. ‘The Expanse’ is based on a line of novels written by James S.A. Corey, which is a pen name shared by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. It was Abraham that made this investigation known, via Twitter. So one of the core cast of #TheExpanse has been accused of sexual misconduct. We immediately passed these serious accusations onto the studio, Alcon. Alcon has engaged an independent firm to investigate this matter and takes these allegations very seriously. — Daniel Abraham (@AbrahamHanover) June 26, 2020 That tweet, on Abraham’s personal account, was followed by another on the James S.A. Corey Twitter account: Latest news from our studio. They are taking the recent allegations very seriously, and have hired an independent third party investigator. Everyone is fully committed to the truth here. But they need a little time to do their work. Updates as I have them. — James S.A. Corey (@JamesSACorey) June 26, 2020 A spokesperson for Alcon Entertainment confirmed the […]

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Concourse Media To Help Shop Nichelle Nichols NASA Documentary ‘Woman In Motion’

Jax Motes — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 19:47:43 +0000

Concourse Media will help shop the feature-length documentary ‘Woman In Motion’ about ‘Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols and her pioneering work to recruit men and women of color for NASA, particularly in the 1970s and ’80s. We first reported on the development of this project last year. Among those she helped recruit were Fred Gregory, the first African American space shuttle commander, and Ron McNair, “the second African American in space who perished in the Challenger accident.” Concourse plans to market the film at the upcoming Cannes virtual event, which replaces the normally star-studded Cannes Film Festival which is just one of the many media events worldwide that have been drastically altered due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nichols was a TV trailblazer for her role as Communications Officer Lt. Uhura on the original ‘Star Trek’ and parlayed that role to a position working with NASA, during which she helped recruit “thousands, including the first African American, Asian and Latino men and women to fly in space.” (via Deadline) In addition to those she actively helped recruit, she has been cited as an influence for Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space, and Charles Bolden, the first African American NASA […]

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Lyle Waggoner, Star Of ‘Wonder Woman’ And ‘The Carol Burnett Show,’ Dead At 84

Janice Kay — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 20:34:15 +0000

Lyle Waggoner, best known to genre fans as Major Steve Trevor in the 1970s series ‘Wonder Woman,’ has passed away. He was 84. According to his son, Jason, the former actor died Tuesday morning after battling a long illness. Following a stint in the Army and working as a door-to-door salesman in Kansas, Waggoner’s rugged good looks didn’t go unnoticed and he was encouraged to head to Hollywood. While he made his TV debut on an episode of ‘Gunsmoke,’ it was a role that he didn’t get that would surprise comic fans. Waggoner actually auditioned for the role of the Caped Crusader himself, Batman, and he was on the top of the studios’ list of actors even going so far as to film a screen test with Peter Deyell as Dick Grayson/Robin. Of course, it would be Adam West, whose deadpan ability to make even the most absurd believable, who would finally nab the role. Stardom would not elude him for too long as in 1967, Waggoner landed at ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ as an announcer and straight man to Carol Burnett. Soon, however, his comedic ability emerged and he was featured in many comedy skits throughout the show. […]

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