Bonnie Hammer Releases Decision :)

[koenigrules]

The only other thing I can suggest is to check out the banned site.
The link to the article is there.
orry about that.

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Cable TV -- once an odd-lot collection of reruns, movies and specials -- now has television series that viewers worry about.

That was clear this week as cable networks faced members of the Television Critics Association during its winter TV press tour in California. Often, issues resolved around existing shows.

Some -- "Battlestar Galactica," "Playmakers" and a "Farscape" farewell -- are iffy. Most, from the "The Sopranos" and "The Shield" to "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy," are returning.



"Battlestar Galactica" is still wobbling. A miniseries drew strong ratings for the Sci Fi Channel, which expects to decide in the next two weeks whether to make it into a series.
"We loved it," says network president Bonnie Hammer. "It's just a matter of the budget and the other things we're planning."

She's already committed to air two miniseries this year -- the five-hour "5 Days to Midnight" in June and the four-hour "Earthsea," based on Ursula Le Guin books, in December.


A "Farscape" finale also is up in the air. Hammer says she has heard producer Brian Henson is planning a miniseries to wrap up the show that was a favorite of science fiction fans.


Also indefinite is "Playmakers," the tough series focusing on a fictional pro football team. Fans and critics liked it; the National Football League didn't. ESPN hopes to make a decision before March.

Sci Fi is bringing "Stargate SG-1" back for its eighth season this summer, along with a spin-off series, "Stargate Atlantis."

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROO...P0110MUSIC.htm
I believe both stories are coming from the annual Television Critics Association Winter press tour. The information is fairly similiar even though the days until the announcement are different.

Bonnie Hammer is there to publicize all the new programming Sci Fi Channel is doing.

It does sound like Sci Fi has a pretty full plate. The filming of the Earthsea is scheduled to begin this spring andis being done in New Zealand. I am sure they are concerned about the possibility of cost overruns on Earthsea and the other projects.

The 14 day estimate goes along with earlier rumors. Who knows?

[Darth Marley]

Deep Trash knows!

[thomas7g]

I wouldn't worry about it. It will eventually get made. Maybe not this entire year. But I assume it will get high priority come the next fiscal cycle at Scifi.

BG2005 will be a go as soon as Scifi can submit a new budget. Or as soon as they get a backer.

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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031217/nyw129_1.html

NEW YORK, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Academy Award winner Timothy Hutton has signed on to star in SCI FI Channel's next original miniseries event, 5 Days to Midnight. Produced by Lions Gate Television, in association with David Kirschner Productions and Hallmark Entertainment Distribution, the five-hour thriller is set to begin production in Vancouver this month

SCI FI, whose epic Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN won the 2003 Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries, continues to attract some of Hollywood's brightest luminaries. In addition to re-teaming with Spielberg on the upcoming miniseries trilogy Nine Lives, SCI FI is in development with Martin Scorsese, Bryan Singer, Dean Devlin and Gale Anne Hurd on other "big event" projects.

What I don’t understand is that Sci Fi Channel says they want to save money and then they turn around and create these major productions.


Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell are great actors. But if I had a limited budget I would have gotten less known actors. There are many actors and actresses that are just starting out, cheap, and very talented. Our own Tyrol, Aaron Douglas, did a great job. The name “Battlestar Galactica” was the main star that attracted the viewing audience.

Martin Scorsese is certainly an excellent director. But how many science fiction fans really demanded the director of “Taxi Driver “ for the next Sci Fi Channel production?

Scorsese, Olmos, and McDonnell are great if Sci Fi is setting on this giant mountain of money. But it seems schizophrenic to use big name talent if you are cutting Farscape and other shows to save money. At this rate, Sci Fi may blow the budget for 2005 too.

[slider]

Sci Fi has committed to:

1) 5 Days to Midnight with Timothy Hutton now filming
2) Earthsea to be done in New Zealand this spring
3) Spielberg’s 3 part Nine Lives
4) Unknown project with Martin Scorsese
5) Stargate SG-1
6) Stargate: Atlantis
7) Bermuda Triangle mini-series with Singer, Devlin 8 hours of episodes
8) Scare Tactics with Shannen Doherty
9) Mad, Mad House with $100,000 prize
10) Tripping the Rift animation series
11) Supporting a lawsuit against NASA to force them to turn over UFO evidence

Granted some of these things are already finished but still...

Sci Fi has to consider cost overruns. Right now the US dollar is falling like a rock against the Canadian and New Zealand currencies. Shooting in Canada and New Zealand usually means cost savings but not if your currency is being devalued. There are also production cost overruns.

How much money can a network that averages 1.1 million viewers have for all these projects? This seems very ambitious for a small channel. It looks like they will have 12 hours of good science fiction then it will be shark and crocodile movies again.

Maybe they can change the prize on Mad, Mad, House to a DVD set of Crossing Over episodes.

Slider

okay I will stop saying mean things about Sci Fi. Maybe..

[malachi42]

" But in response to your post, money aside, will the actors put their career on hold for 60 days to stick around for a series that may or may not be a success. If you were an actor (other than the main two stars) in this mini, would you turn down job offers and not audition for new jobs over a 60 day period in hopes that this would go to series, and then in hopes that the series would be successful?"


Actors do it all the time. They gamble on 60 days in order to possibly sign a 6 year contract, the normal amount of time for the average series contract. So if you do the math - an average salary of $5000 per week and up for supporting cast, 8 months per year for 6 years? It is worth the gamble for most actors who can easily go unemployed for longer than 6 months.
Most actors wait for decisions to be made by studios all the time on pilots that have never aired on TV, have no ratings or reviews. Average time between shooting and decision is about 4 or 5 months. During that time they agree to be on hold and they don't get paid. But most actors in Hollywood are not fending off multiple offers.

[Shatter]

Personal feelings about the mini aside, it does seem that Skiffy is stretched pretty thin with all the high dollar projects they've lined up. It wouldn't surprise me if a series got announced for 2005. Of course, I won't be watching (or even paying attention, for that matter ). Still, it would be cool if Skiffy ended up stretched too thin financially to pull it off. But my guess is it will go forward, lost momentum and all.

[DCRabbit]

I have a sneaking suspicion you there won't be a weekly BSG.. but another mini and you'll see Moore and some others working on some of the other Scifi projects. Why? Cos Scifi is moving away from space opera.. is announcing lots of big budget productions that aren't space opera themed while claiming poverty for BSG.. and Moore quit his day job without a green light on a BSG weekly. A very sucessful day job with HBO.

Maybe we'll see some of the BSG cast in the other miniseries projects. Would explain why Aaron hasn't gotten extended. You'd think he would cos his character is having a romance with Boomer, from what I've read. Isn't that a major plot point?

DCR

[oldwardaggit]

My posts don't go through on the sci fi channels board either. Funny about that. opps I guess I posted this too late.

OWD

[DarkJedi]

Good to see you OWD!!! They still won't let me post over there. Guess all the years of ranting over there put a burr in their saddle.

[dvo47p]

Originally posted by DarkJedi
Who knows? They might never allow that post to go thru. I seem to be on their favorite list of who not to allow to post there since none of my posts ever go thru. *gggrrrrrrr Lemme at em with my lightsaber!!! :bash: :bash: :laugh:

That Avatar does not look to 'BAD'!

[shiningstar]

I happen to like your avatar dvo

[Stray Viper]

I don't know about media executives, but what I observe seems to be a classic symptom in corporations: a major decision is put off, delayed, and otherwise shelved because a possible change in management is upcoming.

Hmmmm ...

Mini fans don't despair if it gets too delayed and all the actors commit to other projects; I'm sure Moore will get an opportunity to reimagine his reimagination all over again and remake the remake. Then he can change everything you loved about the mini and offer a newer, fresher, hipper replacement. Hip replacement??

To be or not to be ... find out in 60 days.

[slider]

09:00am ET, 15-January-04
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-m...1/15/12.30.sfc

SCI FI Channel and Tribune Entertainment Company announced a major program license agreement for the popular weekly SF series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, starring Kevin Sorbo. SCI FI will present the fifth and final season of Andromeda as an original series, starting next fall, and will also have the rights to the series' first four seasons, the network said.

The Tribune Entertainment deal also includes three seasons, or 66 episodes, of the weekly syndicated series BeastMaster. BeastMaster will begin airing sometime in 2004 exclusively on SCI FI.

SCI FI picked up cable rights for 110 episodes of Andromeda, including all 22 new original episodes of its fifth season. The fourth season will become available to SCI FI beginning in March, when SCI FI starts sharing original episodes with syndication. New original episodes of the fifth season begin airing this fall on the Channel and will air in syndication a week to 10 days after their SCI FI premiere.

Sci Fi latest commitments: updated Jan 15, 2004

1) 5 Days to Midnight with Timothy Hutton now filming
2) Earthsea to be done in New Zealand this spring
3) Spielberg’s 3 part Nine Lives
4) Unknown project with Martin Scorsese
5) Stargate SG-1
6) Stargate: Atlantis
7) Bermuda Triangle mini-series with Singer, Devlin 8 hours of episodes
8) Scare Tactics with Shannen Doherty
9) Mad, Mad House with $100,000 prize
10) Tripping the Rift animation series
11) Supporting a lawsuit against NASA to force them to turn over UFO evidence
12) Andromeda March 2004, cable rights to 110 episodes
13) BeastMaster to air sometime in 2004, rights to 66 episodes

Sci Fi Channel continues to scrape and dig to get money for the Battlestar Galactica miniseries. They are just doing it a little differently from the rest of corporate America.

This is good news for all you BeastMaster series fans.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better. Last weekend we had giant sharks, crocodiles, and octopi. This weekend Sci Fi will be airing Spiders, Spiders II, Mosquito, and Skeeter!!!

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"We loved it," says network president Bonnie Hammer. "It's just a matter of the budget and the other things we're planning."

[GalacticanCajun]

Bonnie Hammer's idea of great programing- giant crogs and skeeters.

[Darth Marley]

I never liked the "Monster Movie of the Week" that was so prevalent on UHF channels before cable.

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The whole giant-mutant-killer organism movie genre is always being attacked by closed-minded critics. This is what makes it so hard to get new giant killer animal movies made. It doesn’t matter if you like new reimagined Skeeter or not. It is the only Skeeter movie we have, despite what the fan boys say.

I, for one, will be watching with an open mind. Then I will decide if the new Skeeter is like the old “Monster Movie of the Week"


Slider


note to mods, this a joke

[repcisg]

Ah yet another giant-mutant-killer lover,

now where's my popcorn?

[Micheleh]

Why does everyone post "you have a PM?" It makes me want to try to look over his shoulder and go "What is it what is it lemme see lemmesee..."

Thanks slider! I laughed so hard after your last reply.

[Darth Marley]

Originally posted by slider
The whole giant-mutant-killer organism movie genre is always being attacked by closed-minded critics. This is what makes it so hard to get new giant killer animal movies made. It doesn’t matter if you like new reimagined Skeeter or not. It is the only Skeeter movie we have, despite what the fan boys say.

I, for one, will be watching with an open mind. Then I will decide if the new Skeeter is like the old “Monster Movie of the Week"


Slider

But you have to admit,Skeeter needed to be reimagined.
The kids of today just will not accept a mutant-killer organism that does not glow when excited.One has to inject some reality into these concepts or the modern audience will just tune out.
Sure,maybe it should have been called "Lightningbug" (Firefly was already Taken),but from what I have read of the script,it has enough of the old elements to be truly called "Skeeter."

[slider]

Well, again I am reserving judgment until Skeeter actually airs this Saturday night.

But based on the all buzz about Skeeter being reimagined into a female, I don’t think so. How Skeeter can truly be Skeeter with a female mosquito is beyond me. The way the writers and director have to be so damn pc about everything just disgusts me.

(errr, how can you tell if a mosquito is male or female?)

[Darth Marley]

I thought only the females bite,but I could have that backwards.
You see if the spine is glowing in the re-imagined version.

[Darth Marley]

Totally haywire post,pls delete.

[slider]

I thought in the reimagined series the females only fed on babies? But who are we to say that is evil.

[Darth Marley]

Originally posted by slider
I thought in the reimagined series the females only fed on babies? But who are we to say that is evil.

First of all,no babies were actually harmed in filming.

Second,the skeeters are EVIL,and the baby biting scene is just to underscore that impression.

Also,the baby biting occurs off camera,it is just implied,so it really shouldn't be that shocking.

Also,also, according to the leaked script,there was some kind of skeeter revolution against free will,and they aren't really feeding on babies,they are injecting Borg nanoprobes to enslave the babies to serve the skeeters.

[slider]

Well I have heard this is one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. You can tell from the mosquito’s expression it feels really bad about what it’s done. Truly, the work of a genius.

[Darth Marley]

Some detractors will argue that the reimagining is just a rip-off of the classic insect movie "Leeches."
While the creators admit,they did model Skeeters after Leeches,I find that repainting one blood sucking critter with another totally changes the script,and is different enough to be concidered an original work.

Others have complained that the original cast was passed over for this epic retelling of the Skeeter mythos. I never cared much for the original cast's acting ability. They would just buzz around giving the same old insect sounds so replete in bug opera.

I think the new Skeeters will totally reinvent the mutant-killer organism genre.

[slider]

Sci Fi Channel is finally giving this much-neglected genre the attention it deserves. Of course, Sci Fi Channel has always aimed to be an oasis of high art in the barren desert of cable TV. Under Bonnie Hammer’s masterful direction, Sci Fi barfs all over PBS, Bravo, and the other so-called artsy fartsy channels.

Good news for all you fans of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (or fans of the baby killing version as some TOS fans affectionately call you).

My source, Deep Trash, says he has come across evidence that BSG is now close to going into production. It is next to receive funding on Sci Fi’s budget right after the slurpee machines and the Girls Gone Wild videos.

Hope this helps.

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Counting the seconds before the mods delete this post.