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Hugo Nominations Announced
Embedded Geek writes "With the 2004 Nebula Awards being awarded this weekend, the Hugo nominations have been announced. As usual, the field is packed with lots of deserving entries, although I'm sure everyone has a favorite that was missed. I was particularly interested in the Short Form Drama, though, with Joss Wheadon getting three nominations for canceled shows (two Firefly, one Buffy) and Gollum's Acceptance Speech at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards getting a nod. Also of interest are the Retro Hugos, an effort to look back and recognize SF published before anyone thought to hand out awards for it. Retro nominees include such greats as Childhood's End, Fahrenheit 451, and Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 th Century (no, really!). You have until 31 July, 2004 to join Noreascon Four and vote for your favorites!"
Duck Dodgers is a CURRENT show on Cartoon Network.
I really hope that firefly gets the awards it has been nominated for! I am so ticked off at Fox for cancelling such a great show. I want them to win not only to validate the work that the cast and crew of the show did, but also to give a little kick in the butt to the fox execs who stole Firefly from us.
It's interesting that the two episodes from Firefly to be nominated are "The Message" and "Heart of Gold", both unbroadcast, and only seen in the DVD box set. IMHO, the strongest episode was the las one broadcast, "Objects in Space". I wonder if the nominating comittee disagreed, or if the broadcast eps. were otherwise ineligable for this years awards.
-Matt
-MattT *** Not speaking for my employer, or any other sentient beings ***
I was always a bit disappointed in the Fahrenheit 451 movie. I mean, the book is one of my favorites of all time, but I just don't think it did it justice. Same with Catch-22. I mean, they were good movies, but not the calibur of the books.
I think a Fahrenheit 451 remake has a lot of potential too, with all the modern camera and computer technology today, they could really recreat the world of Guy Montag to such a degree. (And perhaps show all the parallels between it and our own which is ever growing closer IMO.)
Oryx & Crake, which I found out about through This Slashdot review has been overlooked again. (It didn't get nominated for the Nebula either.)
I thought Oryx & Crake was fantastic. Are the other books on that list really that good? The only one I've read is Ilium, which just didn't do a whole lot for me.
Their claims against Linux are pure science fiction.
http://www.kubuntu.org/
Ok, I watched firefly. Personally I didn't like it. But, if it were popular Fox would have kept it. So, this leads me to believe that people didn't watch it. So, maybe I'm not alone in my opinion of the show.
Evolution or ID?
I don't know much about his history or career, but Hugo Nominations was the child of immigrant grapepickers Oscar Nominations and Emmy Nominations (madien name: Emmy Buzz). Perhaps another slashdotter can fill in the blanks?
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
I sure hope that isn't the MST3K film. Nothing from MST3K should be up for any award.
fox continually moved the show from one time-slot to another while airing episodes out of sequence, killing the dramatic tension that several moments ought to have had. and viewers can't watch a show if they don't know when it's on.
viewing the episodes now in the sequence intended by joss whedon makes that point eloquently, IMHO.
ed
Check out this entry for best related book:
Master Storyteller: An Illustrated Tour of the Fiction of L. Ron Hubbard -- William J. Widder (Bridge, 2003)
Bridge publications isn't just a CO$ front org... They're the publishers of all the Dianetics (tm, pat. pending, please don't sue me) materials.
Dammit I thought that Fandom had gotten smarter than that.
(posting anon, cuz these are a scary bunch of MFs to cross!)
Is a sci-fi award, dammit! Why don't give the "Forward awards" for the best SciFi stories and related work on 2054?
Anyone know where to find a copy of the Gollum speech in a real (i.e. not Real(tm)) format? MPG? MP2? MP4? OGG? Anything reasonably open (and not transcoded from VHS)?
p.s. Damn annoying that the speech wasn't on the LOTR:TTT extended DVD. It really belonged there.
Catch-22 is one of my favorite modern novels. I read it at least N times (where N is a pretty large number) before I found out it had been made into a movie. One afternoon I was channel surfing, and happened to catch the opening credits. I was happy about this for a minute, then reconsidered - and turned the TV off.
I realized that through reading the book I had formed my own mental images of Pianosa, Yossarian, Hungry Joe, et al, and I did not want the director's interpretation to intrude on my own. I suspect at least a few of us on
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
That'th Dithpicable!
Honestly, I always preferred Daffy Duck before he became short-tempered like Donald Duck. What is it with ducks being angry characters?
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
One of the nominees for best novel, Ilium, I highly recommend. It's by the same author that did the Hyperion novels. Incredible blend of myth, science, religion, you name it. It's only part 1 of (2 part?) series and it just kicked 7 different kinds of ass. I won't spoil it by telling you any of the story. Just go read it already.
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
The episode "Chosen" of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was nominated.
Does anyone know what that episode was about?
Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!
It's an Easter Egg. Though I thought it was DVD 2 and not 1. There's also an EEgg on the FotR Extended Edition in the same place.
I talk about stuff.
Check out the nominees for best novel - 1953 was one hell of a year for SF.
Oh, and for the current year, Lois McMaster Bujold got a Hugo AND Nebula nominee for novel - for two different books!
Maybe it's time to consider a "Writer of the Year" for people who may not necessarily take a top prize for novel, short story, etc., but whose collected work for the year makes them worthy of recognition. (I'm not suggesting anything about McMaster-Bujold's books, since I haven't read either of them).
Thank you. I completely missed that. Good catch!
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
are a living joke. http://www.theonion.com/onion3604/doesnt_own_telev ision.html
And no it is not a joke that you don't have a t.v.- but that you can't help telling everyone at the slightest opportunity (even if you have to invent the opportunity).
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
I have *so much* reading to do before September.
And the Retros are going to be almost impossible, especially Best Novel. I had no idea 1953 was such a good year for SF novels.
-Carolyn
Like Daddy always said: if you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.
Once again, we see Stargate SG-1 ingnored by the parasite-infested dweebs of worldcon, whose real objection is that SG-SG1 always keeps Amanda Tapping covered up under BDUs. And O'Neill is so better than captain kirk.
I thought these were Science Fiction awards.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
True, true.
I don't know. I thought it enhanced the drama: Will I be able to catch this week's episode? Will it stay in one timeslot long enough for me to program my VCR/Tivo? Will Fox cancel the show during one of the commercial breaks and replace it with When Gas company Meter Readers Attack VII?
'Kept me on the edge of my seat.
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
not hotter than HOT HOT GRITS
If we're talking guns, on the other hand, I think you mean 'caliber' or 'calibre'.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
Although I wouldn't mind having them both, at the same time.
Best of the lot. One hell of a good read, do yourself a favor and pick it up.
*Fortitudo, aequitas, fidelitas.*
What do you mean we're not in the running?
www.nthzine.com is an excellent rag..err..mag. I should know, I write for it!
(I know I know, I'm just grousing)
So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
Best Dramatic Presentation -- Short Form (212 ballots) ...
* "Rosetta" -- Smallville (Tollin/Robbins Productions/Warner Brothers). Directed by James Marshall; written by Al Gough & Miles Millar.
OK, I understand things have been tight for decent Sci-Fi of late, seeing as all the good shows keep getting killed off, but Smallville????
Smallville????
What, because Christopher Reeve was in that one?????
"Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
For someone who would love to catch up on all of the old best sci-fi writing, are there collections of the nominated novellas and short stories going all the way back?
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
Can I get an award for my bestselling book, _Zen and the Art of Time Machine Maintenance_, to be written in 2024?
No?
What kind of fans are you?
Well, IMDB doesn't list it as MST3K at least. (Actual movie IMDB entry here).
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
Novel - Childhood's End
Hard to believe this was written in 1953. I give this one the nod for excellent writing as well as political content that is still current. Fahrenheit 451 is a close second; also relevant today. Of the other three, Mission of Gravity is my favorite. Excellent hard-sf writing from a guy who really knows his physics combined with memorable characters. Gotta love those Mesklinites.
Novelette - The Wall Around the World
Well written with a mathematical twist.
Short Story - The Nine Billion Names of God
Another strong category like the novel. My choice here is one of my all time favorite short stories, with the added benefit of the computer consultant factor.
Dramatic Presentation - It Came From Outer Space
Good early SF movie and runs counter to the xenophobia of the 50's.
The nice thing is that anything still being considered fifty years later is pretty good stuff. You can't go wrong reading any of these.
Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.
In fact, she's much hotter than Natalie Boringman. Regardless of what you cover her in.
Do you think with your dick
Are Even slightly complex plots hard for you to follow.
is it necessary for the plot and what is going on to be repeated to you 20 times during the show.
Do you suffer from ADD raging hormones, and gullibility syndrome.
At fox we think these are wonderful qualities.
If you are looking for a new job and your idea of employment is getting blow jobs by actresses, screwing off and generally canceling good shows. please send your resume. to
hr@fox.com also please submit a certified IQ test
noone with an IQ over 40 will be considered.
Any network that cancels award winning and original shows deserves to be taken off the airwaves.
Anybody know where we can find any of these stories for download?
The Dramatic Presentation Hugo is the most popular Hugo but by many of the standards that go into the award, the least important. It is one that used to be so bad that "No Award" was a serious contender and always the category where it does best. An award means there should be in every year many fine contenders, from which 5 nominees that are worthy can be chosen, of which one will be deemed excellent. Quite often the DP Hugo has not met this standard.
Of all the Hugos, it was the one least in need of duplicating. It was a popular choice nonetheless (though still controversial) because people just like to give awards, and some people really enjoy their TV SF.
The DP award was also notorious for being the one the recipient often cared nothing for, the nominees coming rarely if at all to get the award. In some years the winner was told in advance they won (in violation of the principles for all the other awards) just to get them to show up.
Again, not what was needed to be duplicated. TV fans tend to be fans of series, and though this is an episode award, you can be sure voters will vote for their favourite series, even if another series had an episode better than the best episode of their series.
The Retros were written in in the 90s and tried in 1996. Participation was low, and voting was clearly based in some cases on the historical reputation of the authors rather than the works, or simply who was alive to receive or who it would be cute to receive in one category. The later worldcons entitled to give retro hugos deemed them a mistake and didn't do them again, but they were not removed from the rules so this con did them. Doesn't alter it.
Has it been over a year since you last donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation
I thought the movie was better than the book.
1: in the book, Palmer is a barely-tolerable annoyance, while Ellie and her beau are obvious avatars for Sagan & Druyan, horrendously sappy. Ellie & Palmer made the movie story better.
2: in the book, there's a whole multinational team, but they're ALL pie-eyed scientists operating on the exact same wavelength, therefore all able to be discredited simultaneously. Also, they got to choose their own gear completely? And none of them had EM-proof recording equipment? The movie version was more plausible.
I'd have to go with More Than Human for the retro novel award.
and what makes him such a good judge of what is good Science Fiction?
The show ended. It had a finale and everything, and nowhere left to go for a new season.
- Mission of Gravity
- Humans
- Ilium
- Paladin of Souls
- Blind Lake
Or were you hoping not to pay?Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
Yes indeed!! Fantastic novel! I've met Hal Clement (forget his real name) and he was a wonderful, funny man. Very humble and honest - which is reflected in his characters.
(bows humbly) (watches download bar eagerly, muttering '....myyy preccciousss....')
He was the publisher of many early "pulp" SF magazines, and a big popularizer of the genre.
He wrote a bit too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Gernsback
He doesn't judge a thing, being dead. The award was named in his honor.
I've heard similar comments about the Supreme Court.
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
...find it a tad disturbing that pretty much all of the discussion in this thread is about movies and TV shows? People! The shite that Hollywood cranks out is not good SF! Read a good book. Sheesh.
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.
Apparently, there is a Fahrenheit 451 movie remake by the guy who directed, The Shawshank Redemption.
and be reasonable- nice even. All right- living joke was too strong. Sorry about that.
I don't watch much t.v.- though I did like Firefly and I own the DVD set.
I must confess I've flirted with not having a t.v. - but it's a nice escape sometimes. I do enjoy sports and can't afford to go in person - and PBS does some good work where I really do learn. I don't have cable.
I really limit how much my kids watch- and I just don't have time to watch much myself. Everything in moderation seems applicable.
Sorry again- just remember- as excited as you are to share the wonder of a life free of the boob tube- sometimes the best form of evangelism is the indirect, 'soft' approach. Otherwise you just turn people off.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
IMDB.com doesnt list the cast yet, but I recall rumors Mel Gibson was being considered for Montag.
They should have an award for the most prolific scifi writer. The 10 sequels to Dune, five by Frank Herbert (father) and the others by Brian Herbert (son) must be close to toppling Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth series :-) This years entry Butlerian Jihad: The Machine Wars is OK but not great. Never fear, ther are six more sequels in the pipeline! (End of the BJ triology, Dune 7&8 fleshing out what happens after Heretics of Dune, A triology about Paul's Jihad.)
Ah... that's right. (now I remember). Sad that he died. He was a wonderful writer. 'The Gentle Giants of Ganymede' was also superb. I met Robert Forward once and when I commented on how the Cheela reminded me of the Mesklinites, he smiled broadly and said 'Harry taught me to think like and alien'. Forward's books aren't too bad, IMHO.
Two thing that stick out the most: how electronic media have grown up -- in some ways, overtaken -- the novel for sci fi, and how the "semi-pro" zines have become real powerhouses (I'm thinking in part of the NYRSF, which I'm most familiar with.)
Sci fi in 1953, when taken seriously by adults, was really an offshoot of "ordinary" literature still, and the television and movie stuff was silly. Sci fi in 2004 has grown and splintered and now has its own conventions and genres quite set in stone. Yes, there were the space operas even back in the day, but now it seems sci fi has, for better or for worse, become something quite separate from "mainstream" literature. I think it's true that a lot of the most adventurous, genre-busting work has been in TV and film, which would have been unthinkable in 1953, even though the film medium could have been said to be "mature" by then.
While 451 could be judged in the context of other work coming out at the time, it is only the cyberpunk novels (and the occasional Handmaiden's Tale type) that get examined in that way today.
Good or bad? I like sci fi, and I like hard sci fi as well, although it is clear that the writing suffers quite a great deal. If SF was taken seriously by The Man, would it improve? Or would the attention from the book reviewers in mainstream magazines make it less adventurous?
Final question: what about Ted Chaing? What's he been doing recently?
Protect your liberties. Donate to the ACLU
For short story:
Just Like The Ones We Used To Know
As far as I know, Joss ended Buffy because he felt it had run its course. The network didn't cancel it. Am I wrong?
WWJD? JWRTFA!
Just so peope know what to expect, here's an account of the last time Scientology tried to buy a WorldCon and Hugo Awards: Strange Vibrations
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
There's an interesting blog entry about this over at Wil Wheatons blog
Picking either Childhood's End or Fahrenheit 451 is really not possible, IMO - both are equally deserving of the award. Give it to both of them.
we don't have TV, but my kids STILL want to drag me to McDonalds....blech.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
As a Philadelphian expatriate, we *invented* the Hugos at the Philly Worldcon in 1953, and we gave Alfred Bester the Best Novel for "The Demolished Man".
It's absolutely illegitimate for Boston to try to revoke or supercede that, and I've just emailed them to that effect.
mark, Philadelphian expatriate, PSFS member, 21 years
Cast goes through the gate, gets captured/abducted/trapped.
Cast brings something bad/evil/dangerous back to Earth.
Cast goes offworld, befriends/irritates/vanquishes representative(s) of some ancient Earth culture or alien species.
Episode Guide of FIREFLY
Set 500 years in the future, the drama centers on the shady crew of the transport ship Serenity as it conducts some not-so-legal runs across the Alliance-governed star system.
The Train Job - Airdate: September 20, 2002
A battle for control of the craft threatens to erupt after Capt. Reynolds and his sidekick Zoe become entangled in a botched mission to steal cargo from another ship.
Summary: The episode opens in a dark, musky bar on Unification Day celebrating the day the Alliance took over the universe. Zoe and Mal are playing a game while Jayne watches. Of course there is a loud mouth who has to badmouth those who fought in the war against the Alliance (such as Mal and Zoe) and of course, a fight ensues. The bar brawl ends up outside with Wash bringing the Serenity over for a last minute rescue along the edge of a cliff.
Looking for work, Mal, Zoe and Jayne meet a man named Niska with his resident henchman Crow. Niska has a job for them - a train job stealing the cargo from a passenger train. As it's supposedly Alliance goods, Mal has no problem. But then he finds out the 'goods' are actually medicine needed for the city's residents who are suffering from a degenerative malady the miners suffer due to living conditions. So Mal must decide whether he wants to get paid and possibly be responsible for the death of miners and their families, or return the cargo and face the wrath of Niska.
Writers: Joss Whedon & Tim Minear
Director: Joss Whedon
Our Reaction: A little too heavy on the western parallels, but very interesting characters with a lot of promise. Look forward to seeing how things develop. Discuss it on the message board.
Bushwhacked - Airdate: September 27, 2002
A salvage mission goes from dreary to deadly after the crew members find their site ravaged by the cannibalistic Reavers and targeted by an Alliance ship that could do more damage than anyone imagined. The final scene of Wash describing Zoe was part ad lib.
Writer & Director: Tim Minear
Our Reaction: Better than the first episode with a better mix of action and character/universe information. No as many "wild west" references. Discuss it on the message board.
Our Mrs. Reynolds - Airdate: October 4, 2002
The discovery of a stowaway (Christina Hendricks) leads to an even more shocking find---she's actually Mal's payment for a past job. Meanwhile, the Alliance has its eye on the Serenity. Or at least someone aboard it.
Joss considers this the best script he's ever written according to the official website.
Guest Cast:
o Christina Hendricks as Saffron
Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Vondie Curtis Hall
Our Reaction: The best episode so far. Some great character development (Wash actually does have a personality!) and several twists and turns that kept me surprised. Discuss it on the message board.
Jaynestown - Airdate: October 18, 2002
Jayne is a local hero of a town Serenity visits. The episode is said to include a song written by Ben Edlund "The Hero of Canton, the Man they call Jayne". This episode was moved up in the schedule as it was originally to air in November.
Writer: Ben Edlund
Director: Marita Grabiak
Our Reaction: A fun episode, if not overly logical (why did Jayne have to go and then why did he stick around after he saw the statue???). Discuss it on the message board.
Out of Gas - Airdate: October 25, 2002
Includes more back story about how the characters got together, including a flash back of Mal showing Zoe around for the first time. Includes a scene of Kaylee showing off her expertise in the engine room.
Writer: Tim Minear
Director: David Solomon
Our Reaction: The best episode so far. Includes flashbacks of Mal showing Zoe around
Blockquoth the poster:
C'mon now, hyperbole like that in a crowd like this can only lead to trouble. Sure, Firefly was witty and well-crafted, but a) it was still more western than sci-fi and b) there have been plenty of kick-ass "genre" shows in the past several years.
I hadn't heard of this Tivo thing before I started hanging out here, and I'm still not entirely clear on what they do - their website doesn't really get into specifics. I assume it's some kind of programmable video recorder that can strip out advertising? That's pretty cool. How does it distinguish between program and ads?
I'm still not sure it would make me want to watch TV, or have time for it even - but it's a step in the right direction. Cheers!
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges.
The movie ruined the theme of the book, tacking on a lame meme about science and religion both being based on faith.
Moreover, the excellent twist at the end of the book is completely missing from the movie.
I also thought the alien encounter in the book was much better than the movie. More meat.
The only thing the movie did better was the machine and the trip through the wormhole -- excellent visuals.
The most rabid believers in American Exceptionalism are the exact same people whose policies are destroying it.
This is a good year for fiction in Boston; we have Noreascon and the Democratic Convention! Man, all this and RMS too!
Cthulhu Barata Nikto
I don't know, did anyone else find the 1953 nomination for Arthur C. Clarke - Childhood's End -- somewhat disturbing?
I was really kind of disappointed SG-1 didn't get put up for nomination for a Hugo. Long ago, Star Trek ran king amongst the Hugo awards; at least in the books. I was hoping the same for Stargate. Maybe, Atlantis will have a shot next time around the bend. If not the TV series at least the books.
lame meme about science and religion
Depending on your point of view. IMO, the theme of the book -- "everyone would be better off if they did everything that scientists like Ellie and me told them to do" -- isn't any better. I really like that theme in Sagan's NONfiction books (e.g. Demon-Haunted World) but it pushed Contact towards Mary-Sue territory.
excellent twist at the end of the book
Yeah, that would have been nice, and even fit with the science & religion theme.
More meat
Novels will always be better at detail than movies. It's the nature of the media.