Good morning, gentle readers, and welcome to 'On This Day In Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror History' for Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
How's your Tuesday shaping up for you?
Mine is ... okay. I puttered a bit in the morning, and then I managed to squeeze in a workout at the health club. Mostly weights, though I do work in a good deal of stretching because, frankly, it's really needed for my ripe old age. Hopefully, I won't be too sore later today, but we all know how that goes. No pain, no gain ... so bring the pain, body. Bring the pain.
Otherwise, not a whole lot of casual information to report for the day. Yes, I put up a commentary yesterday regarding the present state of affairs as it applies to the wider entertainment industry, the short skinny of which boils down to "It's dead, Jim." Honestly, I'm not sure it can get any deader, but methinks we're likely to see things circling the drain with respect to how the cineplexes fare as this year goes along. You can't keep making films that no one is interested in watching, and then go on some kinda of personal rampage about "Why isn't Hollywood making money?" That's just not how a successful economy works, and apparently the powers that be just don't much seem to care. They keep on chugging and chugging and chugging despite the fact that their pictures don't perform, and it's well past time that such mediocrity delivered them to such lowly, lowly straits.
Whuuuuut?!?! You missed my commentary? Well, here's a complimentary link:
When Words Attack: The End Of Entertainment As We Know It
Please, please, please: check it out. I don't sound off on things like this all that often, and I could use both the feedback and the shares. Much appreciated.
How's your Tuesday shaping up for you?
Mine is ... okay. I puttered a bit in the morning, and then I managed to squeeze in a workout at the health club. Mostly weights, though I do work in a good deal of stretching because, frankly, it's really needed for my ripe old age. Hopefully, I won't be too sore later today, but we all know how that goes. No pain, no gain ... so bring the pain, body. Bring the pain.
Otherwise, not a whole lot of casual information to report for the day. Yes, I put up a commentary yesterday regarding the present state of affairs as it applies to the wider entertainment industry, the short skinny of which boils down to "It's dead, Jim." Honestly, I'm not sure it can get any deader, but methinks we're likely to see things circling the drain with respect to how the cineplexes fare as this year goes along. You can't keep making films that no one is interested in watching, and then go on some kinda of personal rampage about "Why isn't Hollywood making money?" That's just not how a successful economy works, and apparently the powers that be just don't much seem to care. They keep on chugging and chugging and chugging despite the fact that their pictures don't perform, and it's well past time that such mediocrity delivered them to such lowly, lowly straits.
Whuuuuut?!?! You missed my commentary? Well, here's a complimentary link:
When Words Attack: The End Of Entertainment As We Know It
Please, please, please: check it out. I don't sound off on things like this all that often, and I could use both the feedback and the shares. Much appreciated.
Longtime SciFiHistory.Net readers know full well that I don't make 'lists.' They're arbitrary, frankly, and I don't think they mean all that much when all is said and done. What I think? Well, that's likely going to vary widely from what you think, so lists tend to divide folks more than it unites them. I know, I know: I could be wrong -- I'm wrong plenty -- but that's my two cents.
However, I will say that I've always maintained that there are some intellectual properties that have both stood the test of time and have rightfully earned a place to get a bit of extra attention ... and one of the very biggest and best Science Fiction and Fantasy franchises ever first premiered on NBC on this day all the way back in 1989. That was the fateful day when Dr. Sam Beckett first stepped into the quantum accelerator and vanished into the past, forcing his pal Al to travel back via holographic technology to try to bring his compatriot back ... or else. In their journeys, they put things right that once went wrong, all with the hope that their efforts would somehow bring things into temporal unison and deliver Sam back into the proper timeline ... yet, alas, it just wasn't meant to be.
Like so many, I'm hugely disappointed that the new iteration of Quantum Leap -- not so much a reboot as it is a thematic continuation, though mightily flawed -- has essentially ignored Sam, leaving him stranded wherever he is in the universe when it could've and should've brought this singular journey to its end. Instead, we're pretty much tagging along with another mission entirely, though this new version does follow a good deal of the original's formula but to limited to success.
Happy Birthday / Happy Anniversary, Quantum Leap! You look fabulous at a young 35 years young ... oh boy!
However, I will say that I've always maintained that there are some intellectual properties that have both stood the test of time and have rightfully earned a place to get a bit of extra attention ... and one of the very biggest and best Science Fiction and Fantasy franchises ever first premiered on NBC on this day all the way back in 1989. That was the fateful day when Dr. Sam Beckett first stepped into the quantum accelerator and vanished into the past, forcing his pal Al to travel back via holographic technology to try to bring his compatriot back ... or else. In their journeys, they put things right that once went wrong, all with the hope that their efforts would somehow bring things into temporal unison and deliver Sam back into the proper timeline ... yet, alas, it just wasn't meant to be.
Like so many, I'm hugely disappointed that the new iteration of Quantum Leap -- not so much a reboot as it is a thematic continuation, though mightily flawed -- has essentially ignored Sam, leaving him stranded wherever he is in the universe when it could've and should've brought this singular journey to its end. Instead, we're pretty much tagging along with another mission entirely, though this new version does follow a good deal of the original's formula but to limited to success.
Happy Birthday / Happy Anniversary, Quantum Leap! You look fabulous at a young 35 years young ... oh boy!
When it comes to my favorite characters from all of Science Fiction and Fantasy, I rarely -- RARELY -- mince words. As I said in a column yesterday, characters mean things to those who find them; and it's extremely difficult to put it into terms that either we can all agree upon or fully appreciate. These fictional creations become our best friends, showing us the good, the bad, and the ugly of an existence and teaching us perhaps how to get through our own trials better. This isn't so much 'hero worship' as some psychologists might call it; I prefer to see it simply giving each of us a glimpse at what might be a better way to living one's life.
This brings us to Spock.
Half-human and half-Vulcan, Spock was a creation who struggled with his identity in ways that both evoked a measure of sympathy from audiences as well as showed them a layer of nobility in the way he dealt with such controversy. Though originally hated by NBC executives who saw his presentation as a bit -- erm -- devil-like (those ears! those ears!), Spock persevered because creator Gene Roddenberry refused to quash a singular member of the Enterprise crew as brought to life by celebrated actor Leonard Nimoy.
Along with Kirk and McCoy, Spock represented the very best in humanity, despite the fact that he was only half so; and the lion's share of that credit rests squarely on Nimoy's shoulders. He took that role to heart, imbued it with the kind of nuance rarely seen in network television, and winded up making history for his efforts.
Though he's no longer with us, Nimoy was born on this day back in 1931.
This brings us to Spock.
Half-human and half-Vulcan, Spock was a creation who struggled with his identity in ways that both evoked a measure of sympathy from audiences as well as showed them a layer of nobility in the way he dealt with such controversy. Though originally hated by NBC executives who saw his presentation as a bit -- erm -- devil-like (those ears! those ears!), Spock persevered because creator Gene Roddenberry refused to quash a singular member of the Enterprise crew as brought to life by celebrated actor Leonard Nimoy.
Along with Kirk and McCoy, Spock represented the very best in humanity, despite the fact that he was only half so; and the lion's share of that credit rests squarely on Nimoy's shoulders. He took that role to heart, imbued it with the kind of nuance rarely seen in network television, and winded up making history for his efforts.
Though he's no longer with us, Nimoy was born on this day back in 1931.
Not all that long back, I remember seeing a snippet of an interview with James Caan.
Honestly, I don't recall where he was, but it was one of those sessions where the aging talent was having a sitdown with a host for the purpose of reflecting on a storied career. After the host was finished with the prewritten questions, he opened it up to the floor, and the audience was given the chance to chitchat -- albeit briefly -- with Caan regarding his work, his process, and the past. Well, a bit late in the affair, someone stood up and wanted to query the man on his thoughts regarding 1988's Alien Nation, a Science Fiction/Fantasy flick that wasn't so much a huge box office a hit -- perhaps a sleeper, at best -- but one strong enough to get a TV iteration that fleshed out some wider mythology.
Well ...
It was kinda/sorta clear from Caan's response that he thought the project a bit -- erm -- well, let's just call it a bit of an embarassment. He really didn't want to talk about, and he even kinda/sorta softly pushed back on the viewer, suggesting that talking about such a project at an affair of this style wouldn't be appropriate for the forum.
So ...
I'm guessing Caan didn't think much of the production, and that's a shame, yes. It's charming, and it's definitely relatable, especially for genre fans. Thankfully, the actor has something else in Science Fiction -- an award-winning lead performance from 1975's Rollerball -- that allows us to celebrate his contributions.
Though he's no longer with us, Caan was born on this day in 1940.
Honestly, I don't recall where he was, but it was one of those sessions where the aging talent was having a sitdown with a host for the purpose of reflecting on a storied career. After the host was finished with the prewritten questions, he opened it up to the floor, and the audience was given the chance to chitchat -- albeit briefly -- with Caan regarding his work, his process, and the past. Well, a bit late in the affair, someone stood up and wanted to query the man on his thoughts regarding 1988's Alien Nation, a Science Fiction/Fantasy flick that wasn't so much a huge box office a hit -- perhaps a sleeper, at best -- but one strong enough to get a TV iteration that fleshed out some wider mythology.
Well ...
It was kinda/sorta clear from Caan's response that he thought the project a bit -- erm -- well, let's just call it a bit of an embarassment. He really didn't want to talk about, and he even kinda/sorta softly pushed back on the viewer, suggesting that talking about such a project at an affair of this style wouldn't be appropriate for the forum.
So ...
I'm guessing Caan didn't think much of the production, and that's a shame, yes. It's charming, and it's definitely relatable, especially for genre fans. Thankfully, the actor has something else in Science Fiction -- an award-winning lead performance from 1975's Rollerball -- that allows us to celebrate his contributions.
Though he's no longer with us, Caan was born on this day in 1940.
Of course, there's more ... and with a solid 53 different genre trivia citations there's something there for everyone. Here's the link, for those of you paying attention:
As always, thank you for reading ... thank you for sharing ... thank you for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!
-- EZ
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