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Out
of the Woodwork 177. June 2011
Welcome to our newsletter, it contains up to the minute news and gossip as well as awards details and items requiring help from the collective consciousness. If you wish to contribute please do so! We welcome your thoughts, your news items and any gossip! Contents:- Goodreads - our ongoing feature so you can see what's being read here at Fantastic HQ, and add to it if you wish by sending us your reviews. Or join us on Facebook Taggart dropped by ITV - after 30 years
of "murder" in bonnie Scotland One for the Collective consciousness. Lordy,
this one's tough! But see what you can do for us! External Blinks: The
Guardian asks the stars of modern SF to pick the best science
fiction and it's a fascinatiing list.
You can also join us on facebook to keep abreast of our news
and reviews.
Simon
Gosden After
almost 30 years on our screens, the police drama Taggart has been
axed by the ITV network, putting the future of one
of Scotand's favourite TV programmes in doubt. Ratings for the series
south of the border have been in steady decline but STV, who produce
Taggart, are trying to strike a deal with another broadcaster to
keep it going. BBC
story and video The
Locus Science Fiction Foundation has announced the top five finalists
in each category of the 2011 Locus Awards. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the most loved cars in the world, is going up for auction in Los Angeles. The star of the 1968 family movie was shipped to California from England to go under the hammer on Sunday. The unique vehicle, which is still in working order, is expected to fetch up to $2m (£1.2m). For the past four decades it has been kept in Stratford-upon-Avon by owner Pierre Picton, the man who looked after it on set. It has appeared at hundreds of shows and charity road races, but has never been auctioned until now.
FantasyCon 2011 is delighted to announce Joe Abercrombie as Guest of Honour. Joe was born in Lancaster, England, on the last day of 1974. He was educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School and Manchester University, then moved to London and spent ten years working as a freelance TV editor, mostly on documentaries and live music, cutting concerts for bands from Iron Maiden to Coldplay. For much of this time he was spending his late nights bent over the keyboard, working on his take on epic fantasy. THE BLADE ITSELF was published in 2006, and now has publishers in more than 20 countries. Its sequels, BEFORE THEY ARE HANGED and LAST ARGUMENT OF KINGS, followed in 2007 and 2008. BEST SERVED COLD, a stand-alone book set in the same world, was published in June 2009, and a second stand-alone, THE HEROES, in January 2010, when it made No. 3 on the SUNDAY TIMES Bestseller list. FANTASYCON 2011 will be held over the weekend of 30th September to 2nd October 2011 at the Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton, the venue for the highly successful 2010 World Horror Convention.
Broadway's troubled Spider-Man musical has performed well since reopening in a reworked version after a three-week break, box office figures have shown. According to data released on Monday, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has played at 95% capacity since reopening its doors on Thursday. The latest version of the show will have its official opening on 14 June. BBC story
Japanese astronomers claim to have found free-floating "planets" which do not seem to orbit a star. Writing in Nature, they say they have found 10 Jupiter-sized objects which they could not connect to any solar system. They also believe such objects could be as common as stars are throughout the Milky Way. The objects revealed themselves by bending the light of more distant stars, an effect called "gravitational microlensing". Objects of large enough mass can bend light, as Albert Einstein predicted. If a large object passes in front of a more distant background star, it may act as a lens, bending and distorting the light of that star so that it may appear to brighten significantly. BBC story The percentage of e-book purchases has dropped back from the high of the post-Christmas period, falling to 2.5% of all book purchases in volume over the four-week period to 20th March. E-book purchases made up 2.5% of the total book market over the four-week period to 20th March 2011, down from about 3% on the four weeks to 20th February, but made up 5.4% of adult fiction (volume) purchases. Also for the four weeks to 20th March, e-books made up 1.6% of total book purchases in value, and 3.8% of the value of adult fiction purchases Bookseller The Diamond Dagger, awarded for sustained excellence in crime writing, was presented to bestselling historical author Lindsey Davis during a glittering champagne reception at the newly-reopened Savoy Hotel, London. Davis is the creator of the well-loved ancient Roman private eye Marcus Didius Falco, and widely recognised as the godmother of the historical crime genre CWA
Sherlock has taken two prizes at the Bafta TV Awards ceremony in London, including best drama series. Martin Freeman, who plays Watson in the latest screen version of the stories, was named best supporting actor. Martin Freeman in an unguarded moment also revealed that Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch has landed a role in The Hobbit. Freeman let the news slip backstage at the Bafta TV awards on Sunday, where Sherlock picked up the prize for best drama series. Asked about his role, Cumberbatch remained tight-lipped: "I can't say at the moment, thank you very much." Freeman said later: "I knew I was a sort of a big mouth but I didn't realise to what extent I was a big mouth, and I've just ruined everything. I might not actually go back to a job - they might have just sacked me." BBC story
Nebula
Award Winners Announced Winning Novel: Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis (Spectra) Winning Novella: “The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen’s Window” by Rachel Swirsky (Subterranean Summer ’10) Winning Novelette: “That Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made” by Eric James Stone (Analog 9/10) Winning Short Story (tie): “Ponies” by Kij Johnson (Tor.com 1/17/10) and “How Interesting: A Tiny Man” by Harlan Ellison (Realms of Fantasy 2/10)
Andre Norton Award: I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett (Gollancz; Harper) Thriller writer Jeffery Deaver, who unveiled his James Bond novel Carte Blanche on Wednesday 25th May, has admitted that he gives Ian Fleming's superspy a tough time in the 21st Century. At a launch event planned with the precision of an MI6 operation, the American author received the first copy of the book from a team of Royal Marines who abseiled from the roof of London's St Pancras station. BBC story
The Daleks are to be given "a rest" from battling Doctor Who, writer Steven Moffat has told the Radio Times. Moffat, who is also the BBC television show's executive producer, said: "They aren't going to make an appearance for a while. We thought it was about time to give them a rest." The Daleks were voted the scariest villains in the history of Doctor Who in a poll of fans in 2007. Moffat said they had been defeated by the Doctor "about 400 times". BBC
The names and release dates of Peter Jackson's two forthcoming films based on JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit have been announced. The first film will be called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and will be released in December next year. The Hobbit: There and Back Again is scheduled to be out in December 2013. BBC news
A man has been jailed for six weeks after he admitted stealing a limited first edition Harry Potter book from an art gallery. Kevin McGirr, 40, had been charged with the theft of the rare copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone. The book, worth about £6,000, went missing from the Creative Art Gallery in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, in October. There is no truth in the rumour that he will spending his stir in Azkaban! BBC story Matt Smith has signed on to appear in a new series of Doctor Who, the BBC has confirmed. Fourteen new episodes of the sci-fi show, written by executive producer Steven Moffat, have been commissioned. However it is not yet known when the new episodes will be broadcast. The corporation also confirmed there would be six more episodes of the current series to be screened later this year and a 2011 Christmas special starring Smith is planned. BBC stoy Doctor Who fans are to be plunged into one of the Time Lord's adventures in an "immersive" theatre show created by the acclaimed company Punchdrunk. Punchdrunk are famous for transforming entire buildings into mysterious locations which audiences explore as the action unfolds around them. BBC story Leicester City Council 'not ready' for zombie attack : shock report! A worried member of the public has forced Leicester City Council
to admit it is unprepared for a zombie invasion. The authority received
a Freedom of Information request which said provisions to deal with
an attack, often seen in horror films, were poor. The "concerned
citizen" said the possibility of such an event was one that
councils should be aware of. "We've had a few wacky ones before
but this one did make us laugh," said Lynn Wyeth, head of information
governance. BBC
story
Holy Kryptonite! Superman returns – without his pants For more than 70 years he has flown to the world's rescue dressed in a trademark red cape, blue suit and startling tight red trunks worn outside his trousers. Superman, however, is about to lose his pants. But fans will be reassured to know that the Man of Steel will keep his red cape and blue bodysuit and, seeing as the pants were always worn on the outside, his modesty should remain intact. Daily Mirror
One for the collective consciousness:-, Dear Simon, Well Paul Brazier got right on to it: Hi Simon British actor Edward Hardwicke who played Dr Watson in Granada TV's adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, opposite Jeremy Brett and was also known for playing a character based on real-life war hero Pat Reid in the BBC 1970s drama Colditz, has died aged 78. Film appearnces included The Day of the Jackal (1973), The Black Windmill (1974); Richard Loncraine's 1995 version of Richard III and Shadowlands (1993) BBC obituary A coolly elegant dark-haired beauty Dana Wynter had a spell as a Hollywood leading lady in the 1950s, starring opposite Robert Taylor and Richard Todd in D-Day, The Sixth of June, and Kenneth More in Sink the Bismark!, but her best-remembered role is that of Becky Driscoll in Don Siegel's classic sci-fi thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956). Independent obituary Author Joel Rosenberg, 57, died June 1, 2011 following respiratory problems that led to a heart attack, brain damage, and organ failure. Rosenberg is best known for his Guardians of the Flame fantasy series, but he wrote nearly 30 books, including SF and mysteries. SFWA Prolific fan artist Terry Jeeves has passed away. Sheryl Birkhead received the news in an e-mail from Terry’s daughter. A member of First Fandom and winner of its Hall of Fame Award in 2010, Terry was active as an artist, organizer, faned and fan writer. His art was popular and respected. He contributed countless humorous line drawings to fanzines and won the Rotsler Award in 2007. “The virtues of Terry’s work,” Taral Wayne once wrote, “is its invariable good humour, and the by and large pleasing nature of its construction.” File770 website
Department of Smug Self Satisfaction. 1. Fairly quick service,good protected packaging very
good price for a great condition book, would definately order from
this seller again 2. Exactly as described, very fast delivery, extremely satisfied (Amazon UK) 3. Actually rec'd more quickly than from the US sellers
I ordered some of the rest of the series from. Very impressed. Book
in very good condition. Thanks! 4. Exceeded expectations. Unexpectedly fast shipping (from UK to USA), book arrived carefully wrapped and packaged to avoid damage, excellent attention to detail. Look forward to doing more business with them. (Amazon US 5. Sehr schneller Versand. Bücher bestens verpackt in Kartonage, zus. in Kunststofftüte und eingeschlagen in Zeitungspapier. Zustand wie beschrieben. 1: "gebr-wie neu", "fine paperback". 2: "gebr.-sehr gut", "1st ed. HC, vg in a vg dustwrapper". Sehr gerne wieder. (Amazon De) 6. Book was in excellent condition and arrived surprisingly
fast. I am pleased with this selller, and would purchase from them
again. The BBC in their infinite wisdom had this photo and caption about Pirates of The Caribbean topping the US box office
Penelope Cruz (r)
joins Johnny Depp (l) in the fourth (Just in case you couldn't work out who was who!) The Weakest Link: Anne Robinson: 'In 2006, the Star Wars character voted the most annoying film character ever was Jar Jar ... what ' Contestant: 'Gabor.' The Weakest Link: Anne Robinson: 'Which "T" is the wife of Oberon and Queen of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dreams?' Contestant 'Tinkerbell.' Salman Rushdie says TV drama series have taken the place of novels. So according to the Guardian the Booker-prizewinning novelist plans to write sci-fi drama for television, citing The Wire, The Sopranos and Mad Men as an inspiration. I was going to start that piece by saying SF novelist but I couldn't bring myself to do it - so what exactly are his qualifications? Answers on a very small postcard....... New arrivals for your delectation:-
http://www.fantasticliterature.com We also buy books and travel around the country to purchase, we will pay a finders fee to anyone who puts us in touch with a collection we later purchase. Instant ordering on our web site in small press, magazines and special offers. http://www.fantasticliterature.com Good reading and watching - Simon & Laraine. Fantastic Literature Limited 35 The Ramparts Rayleigh Essex, SS6 8PY United Kingdom Previous OotW - archives OotW121. OotW122. OotW 123, OotW 124, OotW 125, OotW 126, OotW 127, OotW 128, OotW 129, OotW 130, OotW 131, OotW 132, OotW 133, OotW134, OotW135, OotW136, OotW 137, OotW138, OotW 139, OotW 140, OotW141, OotW 142, OotW 143, OotW144, OotW145, OotW146. OotW147, OotW148, OotW149, OotW 150, OotW151, OotW 152, OotW 153, OotW 154, OotW155, OotW156, OotW157, OotW 158, OotW159, OotW 160, OotW161, OotW162, OotW 163, OotW164, OotW 165, OotW 166, OotW167, OotW168 OotW 169, OotW170, OotW171, OotW172, OotW173, OotW 174, OotW 175, OotW176
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