Here it is - the brand new Dr Who trailer released today, Feb 20 2010. Pretty cool too; there’s Daleks, Weeping Angels and…Silurians?

All that AND a peek up Amy’s skirt. Leave your thoughts below!!

In astonishingly brilliant news, Neil Gaiman - author of The Sandman graphic novel series and many other brilliant books - has written an episode of the new Dr. Who series. It won’t see the light of day until Matt Smith’s second season which is approximately 14 months from now, but fans - including myself - are already on the edge of their seat.

The news was revealed in an acceptance award message he sent to the UK convention “SFX Weekender” (he won Best Comic at the SFX Awards). Here it is in full:

“Over the years SFX, and its readers and their votes in the polls, have always been very kind to me. I thought I’d return the favour with what used to be called, in journalistic circles when I was a boy, a scoop. As anyone who’s read my blog knows, I’m a big fan of a certain long-running British SF TV series. One that started watching — from behind the sofa — when I was three. And while I know it’s cruel to make you wait for things, in about 14 months from now, which is to say, NOT in the upcoming season but early in the one after that, it’s quite possible that I might have written an episode. And if I had, it would originally have been called “The House of Nothing”. But it definitely isn’t called that any more.”

What are your thoughts on Gaiman’s becoming a part of the Who universe? Leave them below.

Judge Dredd - the big-chinned arbiter of all that is the law - is coming back to the big screen. But this time, according to it’s co-creator John Wagner, its to be much closer to the original than the first film was.

Talking to 2000AD Review, John discussed Alex Garland’s script and additional concept art by Jock.

Said Mr. Wagner; “I have read the script and seen Jock’s visuals. While I can’t go into detail about the content I can say that it’s high-octane, edge-of-the-seat stuff, and gives a far truer representation of Dredd than the first movie”.  Of the Stallone version, he added “I hated that plot. It was Dredd pressed through the Hollywood cliché mill, a dynastic power struggle that had little connection with the character we know from the comic.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Can’t wait to see what the new one will look like. What are your thoughts? Leave ‘em below!!

The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Russell T. Davies is writing a US-version of Torchwood for Fox. It’s just a pilot for now but the old Dr. Who production team are all on board including Julie Gardner and Jane Tranter, both of whom are now in Los Angeles. No word yet if John “I’m going to do an episode of The Cabonauts” Barrowman will be involved.

Geronimo!!!  Here it is; the first trailer for the upcoming season of Dr. Who - starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

The line at the Universal Citywalk IMAX 3-D here in Los Angeles was crazy long but we’d booked tickets ahead of time. For the record, I wasn’t caught up in the hype over James Cameron’s new movie Avatar; in fact, had a friend not bought the tickets and made the plans, I would have ultimately caught it on TV. I’m so glad I didn’t.

I went to see a spectacle, not story - and I was not remotely disappointed. I don’t think I really followed what was going on for the first 5 minutes or so as I was in awe of the scale of what I was seeing. I would highly recommend you see this film in IMAX 3-D because it’s an experience that shouldn’t be missed. It’s an absolute landmark in movie-making history. One day we’ll be able to go films and see them in 360 - this is the next step to achieving that ambition. It’s truly stunning.

The film is deceptive; it starts off like one of those rides at Disney where you’re forced to watch those short movies where scientists tell you to strap yourself in before you start your descent to the heart of the planet (or whatever the ride is going to “do”). I say that because the acting and writing is so, um, shit. Particularly one-note (and a hackneyed one note at that) is the head of the marines played by Stephen Lang. Fortunately, he’s out-acted by everyone else including the special effects. And when things get moving (very shortly thereafter), you get utterly caught up in a film that’s about 2 hours 45 mins - it just flies by.

The story is fairly simple; an allegorical tale as old as time itself about an indigenous people who are to be thrown off their land (by any means possible) by big business who want to mine there. The indigenous people are called Na’vi; their planet is called Pandora - but it could just as easily be Native Americans on the planet Earth. The Na’vi are spiritual people who are physically & mentally in touch with nature and enjoy a symbiotic relationship with it - literally. They’re also blue and about 10 feet tall and realized entirely through animation. Humans have created “avatars” - Na’vi constructs that can be controlled by people attached to them via computers, and we follow the story of Jake Sully, a paralyzed marine who, via his Na’vi, makes contact with a Na’vi tribe, infiltrates them, then, of course, starts to fall in love with one. Trust me, the story itself isn’t anything worth writing home about but it does bring to mind the troubles of indigenous people the world over who’ve been screwed by their fellow man who are both technologically more advanced and just plain meaner. During the course of the film, I was reminded not just of Native Americans but of Australian Aboriginals, genocide victims the world over; even the Jews being forced out of Russia during the pogroms.

The Na’vi are rendered so brilliantly that it’s easy to forget they’re animated. Their land and the creatures and planet life on it are also gorgeous, inventive and spectacular. Huge, gravity-defying rocks that hang in the air, fountains of water spraying off them. Dinosaur-like herds of animals. Flying monsters that soar through the clouds - with our heroes riding them. That’s why seeing this in IMAX 3-D is so worth it; you feel like you’re there yourself. I myself have a little bit of vertigo so when the camera would peer over the edge of a cliff or tree branch and reveal the dizzying but beautiful views beneath I had to close my eyes.

The cast - Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Joel Moore et al - all deliver good performances. For me the stand out was Zoe Saldana (pictured) who plays the Na’vi that falls in love with Jake Sully’s avatar. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the film ended (as the credits rolled, a guy behind me loudly intoned “it’s hard to cry with these 3D glasses on”). Despite the plot being done countless times before, the effects made it that much more original because you’ve never EXPERIENCED this story (or any other) on this level before.

Ultimately, it’s easy to forgive the film its shortcomings because everything else is so jaw-droppingly amazing. James Cameron has outdone not just himself but the entire world of movie making. I can’t wait to see where this leads; it renders entertainment on its head because nothing - no iPod, no TV - could come close to delivering this kind of experience.

Cheers, Jim.

After checking in to the hotel, we went down for the cocktail part of the evening and hooked up with Erin Gray & Gil Gerard (and his lovely wife Janet). We all had quite the blast and kept each other in stitches. I tried to talk Gil into getting a  Twitter account but he seemed reluctant. I also got to meet comic book artist/uber-talent Mark Millar who I’m a huge fan of.  Was there anything else? Mmmm… Oh yeah; Gil & Erin both want to do an episode of The Cabonauts together!

SATURDAY: We set up Nichelle’s table and a line of fans appeared - that never let up.  It was magical to see their faces and hear their stories of how Nichelle had affected their lives. I kept myself busy passing out Cabonauts postcards. At 1pm, we made our way over to the panel and premiered the pilot of The Cabonauts to a healthy crowd of people. It went down rather well, despite the sound system in the room that had clearly been blown out years ago. We got some feedback from the crowd and over 95% liked it rather a lot. We asked which character they liked best, and over all the responses everything seemed to come back even.

We went back to the autograph signing table for the rest of the afternoon then headed back to the airport just a few hours later. I’m happy to say we got back to LA without too much more turbulence.

All in all it was a whirlwind but also a great time and we met some lovely people. I also read the BEST book I’ve read in years and recommend that you go out and buy it THIS SECOND. It’s called “The End Of Mr. Y” by Scarlett Thomas, an English author who’s put together a 400 page book that’s both unputdownable and mind-blowing. Ostensibly, it’s about a book from the late 1800s that has a curse - anyone who reads it dies. But it’s SO much more and touches upon quantum physics, religion, thought memes, Einstein, etc, etc - and presents tons of amazing ideas. It also talks about a place called “Mindspace” which is very similar to the “Brainspace” that Cyril and Harry use in their off time in the series. Please go buy it - you can thank me later!

PS - I woke up Sunday morning to find a twitter from Gil. So go add him and tell him who sent ya - @gil_gerard !!!

This weekend - Aug 7-8 - Nichelle Nichols & myself (Hayden) will be appearing at Wizard’s Chicago comic-con. It’ll be a whirlwind for us as we’re flying in Friday and flying back out Saturday night, but we’ve got a few treats in store whilst there.

First off, there’ll be a Cocktail Party with Nichelle on the Friday night that everyone’s invited to. On Saturday we’ll be signing autographs from 10-1 then from 1-2…roll on the drums…a special panel with Nichelle and me that features the world premiere of the pilot of The Cabonauts!!!

So be there or be a box-shaped type thing, I forget what they’re called. The convention is held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center which is at

5555 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018

And you can get tickets here - http://www.wizarduniverse.com/wwchicago.html

See you Chicago-types there!! (and if you are, leave us a comment)

Three crazy days are now behind us. I’m still reeling. So what happened? Here’s a few highlights:

For me, it started with one hour’s sleep on Wednesday night (don’t ask) before getting into a car with business manager Phil Ashcroft as we bundled off to San Diego at 5am. After navigating parking (a task that took almost as long as the 2 hour drive), we found our passes and started setting up a table at the huge Wizard booth.

Nichelle arrived around 10am, and the buzz and lines began immediately. So many people approached her for pictures and autographs, all full of love and respect for her and her work - it was almost overwhelming. We spent that first day, Friday, dealing with the hundreds & hundreds of people who had to shake her hand, touch her, and tell her how much she’s inspired their lives. What a living legacy!

I also had a quick word with John Barrowman - Captain Jack from Dr. Who and Torchwood - and he told me he’d like to do an episode of The Cabonauts if his schedule permits. Don’t believe me? I managed to get it on video! I’ll post it later this week.

That night we had drinner and drinkipoos with Erin Gray and her lovely daughter Sam who’s going to be starring in a new online version of Buck Rogers as…Wilma Deering! Sam seems like an absolutely terrific person and I’m sure she’s going to rock the role - can’t wait to see it!

Saturday, it all started up again only we scored a major coup at the start of the day. We were set to premiere The Cabonauts trailer at the Masquerade Ball, an annual Comic-Con event that’s attended by 6,000 people but we weren’t sure at what point in the proceedings that it would play. Once Nichelle suggested that she’d be happy to introduce it, the people at Masquerade pretty much jumped to get her on board - and within seconds, we’d locked in a time for Nichelle to get up on stage. And that night, Nichelle surprised a massive crowd as she walked onto stage to rapturous applause. The trailer got the right amount of laughs and a big cheer at the end - which was pretty damn cool. By the way, a quick word about the people who attend the Masquerade Ball in costume - WOW. The outfits were amazing, truly mind-blowing, and kudos to everyone who participated.

We also interviewed David H Lawrence - Eric Doyle from Heroes - who revealed on video that he’ll be on an upcoming episode of The Cabonauts playing…(wait for it)…a gay space pirate. We’ll be uploading that at some point soon too! And I had a chat with one of the stars of Lost who seemed quite interested in coming on board the Scarad too. He’s off to Hawaii in a few weeks, so schedule permitting, later on down the road he’ll be singing and dancing for us

Sunday was time to wind down - Nichelle and I were at the Cabonauts table for a few hours then called it a day after lunch. We all left very happy in the knowledge that we’d done a lot of word-spreading and, of course, the trailer debut will be the stuff of legend.

If you’re one of the people who stopped by the table and picked up a Cabonauts poster, thanks! Glad to have you on board too!

By the way; the picture of Nichelle above is courtesy of SciFiCrush.com who stopped by to interview her. You can check out the interview here.