In the past 30 days, we’ve accomplished quite a few things:

1. Complete site redesign from a one-person blog to a Fan-based news zine.
2. Added many features that made it both writer and reader friendly.
3. Used as many Internet standard features as possible to allow for both compatibility with various types of computers, but also a way to speed up the adaption process for newbie readers.
4. Developed a viable e-zine for N3F with rolling deadlines.

As I write this, I am in the midst of summer finals at law school. So, developments over the next few weeks should be slower than June. Development speed should pick up in august, though.

Features to be added in the future, depending upon reader interest, could include:

• A fan fiction archive
• A master calendar of upcoming fannish events (Cons, etc.)

And for those of you who have asked:

• If you are looking for a BBS or Forum, one already exists on the main N3F website:
  http://www.n3f.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

If you have any wish lists, comments or suggestion on how to make this site more responsive to your needs as a fan of SF/F/H, please use the comment feature below. I will read it and respond. And if your ideas are possible and practical, they will come to life as soon as we are able to figure out how do to it.

Five years after Ang Lee’s disappointing Hulk, Marvel decided to reboot the comic hero with a new film, The Incredible Hulk, which picks up roughly where the 1970s-80s TV series left off; ignoring the 2003 film altogether.

The film also features fa nod to long-time Hulk fans with witty cameos of the stars from the TV series.

Mainstream critics had been lukewarm on the film, with the most scathing comments from those critics who are quick to pooh-pooh most genre films anyway.

But the consensus is that those who are looking for a great action film with killer CGI animation, this Hulk will not disappoint.

Also noted in most reviews is a stand-out performance by Oscar-winning actor, William Hurt – who make the most of his part of a military leader teetering on the edge between loyalty to his orders and loyalty to his conscience.

Some thought the message was a little too preachy and most found the end battle scene too predictable.

Below are selected reviews from prominent critics:

<!– {rw_good}

• Outstanding Special Effects
• Great Supporting Cast
• Action packed

{/rw_good} –>

<!– {rw_bad}

• Too Scary for Small Children
• End is Predictable

{/rw_bad} –>

<!– {rw_score}

{for="National Post – Canada" value="5"}

"For all its ground-shaking, the final battle amounts to no more than a pause between the creation story we have just witnessed and the inevitable sequel." – Chris Knight

{/for}

{for="Christian Science Monitor" value="6"}

"Now that we've demonstrated that comic book icons can look like you and me, how about we go back to the Christopher Reeve era when they looked like square-jawed movie stars?" – Peter Rainer

{/for}

{for="CNN" value="7"}

"The climax is a bit of a yawn — it boils down to two big apes slugging it out with an entirely predictable outcome — but most of what precedes it is vigorous and sharp." – Tom Charity

{/for}

{for="Washington Post" value="7"}

"There are sequences that are genuinely beautiful, especially the scenes shot in the Brazilian favela, with its rich visual textures and evocative roofscapes." – Ann Hornaday

{/for}

{for="San Jose Mercury News" value="8"}

" The Incredible Hulk has a few annoying flaws, but it’s gratifying in many of the ways a Marvel Comics movie should be.” – Bob Straus

{/for}

{for=”New York TImes” value=”6″}

“The Adequate Hulk would have been a more suitable title.” – A.O. Scott

{/for}

{for=”Chcago Tribune” value=”7″}

“The Incredible Hulk keeps slamming everything forward, satisfyingly.” – Michael Phillips

{/for}

{for=”Entertainment Weekly” value=”7″}

“The audience, in all likelihood, will be so grateful not to see another joyless, inert, pea green dud that it may not mind that The Incredible Hulk is just a luridly reductive and violent B movie — one that clears a bar that hadn’t been set very high.” – Owen Gleiberman

{/for}

{for=”USA Today” value=”6″}

“The saga is uneven and there are plot holes, but as a popcorn movie steeped in action, it keeps our attention.” – Claudia Puig

{/for}

{/rw_score} –>

And in case you are one of the 15 people who missed it, here is the original, “Shoes” by Kelly.

You now have your very own podcast about SF in your preferred language.

Called Utopod, creators Lucas Moreno and and Marc Tiefenauer offer new episodes every few weeks which feature readings from science fiction and fantasy literature as well as other accouterments.

(via open culture)

Hollywood Fest Honors Genre Flicks: Cinemateque kicks of 6th annual SF/F/H film fest.

NY Ground Zeroed: Two new genre films have NYC in their destructive cross hairs.

China Fansite Moves: The defunct The Chinese Science Fiction and Fantasy has a new home at Twelve Hours Later.

Partnership Results in Exclusive Collection of Digital Items Inspired by the Popular Daytime Drama and Character Fancy Crane

BURBANK, CA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 20, 2006) – Today, Cyworld USA, a leading social networking platform, and NBC announced the companies are entering into a unique online marketing and advertising partnership to reach their shared audience of young, tech-savvy females. The main component of the campaign will be the integration of a Cyworld.com personal “profile” page, also known as a Minihome, which will launch December 22 on the “Passions” website on NBC-dot-com (www.nbc.com/passions) and on Cyworld (www.cyworld.com). The partnership will also involve exclusive digital items developed by Cyworld and NBC representing the “Passions” theme and characters, available for members to purchase with Cyworld’s “Acorn” currency in addition to a Fancy Club for Cyworld members to join. The revenue from this will be shared between NBC Universal and Cyworld.

As the #2 daytime drama among females 12-17, trailing only NBC’s “Days of our Lives,” the alliance with “Passions” enables Cyworld to reach an audience that aligns with its target demographic of young consumers who seek creative avenues for self-expression, and spend time online and using technology. “Passions” already has a proven history of pursuing innovative channels to reach viewers and fans, including its unique online campaigns Passions Vendetta, Red and Tabloid Truth, and the launch of its show inspired clothing line Crane Couture. The alliance with Cyworld will be the first time “Passions” and NBC Daytime has worked with a social network to attract current and potential viewers.

“This is an exciting partnership for Cyworld USA as we enter the entertainment realm and expand our digital item collection to offer members more choice for personalization and self-expression,” said Cyworld USA Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Michael Streefland. “NBC is at the convergence of entertainment and technology, and given our common goal of innovation, together we can uniquely grow both brands and consumer engagement.”

“‘Passions’ fans are devoted, tech-savvy consumers who crave unique ways to interact with their favorite characters,” said Annamarie Kostura, Vice President, NBC Daytime. “Cyworld is a great partnership and unique way to continue NBC Daytime’s push into the digital arena.”

Passions Fans and Cyworld Members Connect Online
As part of the alliance, NBC Universal is creating a special section on the “Passions” site with a feature page that will profile the show’s popular character Fancy Crane, portrayed by Emily Harper, who has her finger on the pulse of the latest trends and fashion. The page, called “Fancy’s Room” will contain personal information about Fancy, similar to an interactive diary, and will feature:

A “Minihome” that showcases the look & feel of a personal Cyworld-dot-com personal profile page, complete with information provided by Fancy, including pictures, journal entries and sketches

A Fancy Crane Sweepstakes, where fans can sign up to win prizes, such as an album signed by Fancy or clothes from Fancy Crane’s fashion label, Crane Couture, launched exclusively online at www.cranecouture.com. Each consumer that signs up will receive 50 “Acorns” to use for exploring the Cyworld-dot-com site and Shop filled with thousands of personalized digital items

Fancy’s Phone featuring text messaging, camera phone photos, and messages from Fancy’s friends

Fancy’s Laptop with instant messages, photos and more of Fancy’s life from her Cyworld Minihome

With seven years experience and more than 20 million members worldwide, Cyworld is a global leader in social networking with localized versions in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and now the U.S. Different from other social networking sites in the market, the site’s innovative look, charm and engaging communication tools appeal to a youth culture ranging in age between 16-24-years-old who seek an authentic, safe destination for interaction and creative expression. Cyworld USA offers a free homepage where people can enjoy all the benefits of the service including picture editing, hosting and sharing, a sketchbook and more. To create a truly individual, self-expressive homepage, members can access thousands of digital items available for purchase.

About Cyworld
Cyworld is the premier online social networking platform for enhancing existing relationships with friends and family. Cyworld’s innovative look, charm and engaging communication tools appeal to a youth culture looking for an authentic, safe destination for interaction and creative expression. Originally launched in 1999 in South Korea to great success, Cyworld is a world leader with recent launches in China, Japan and Taiwan and the U.S. Cyworld is owned by SK Communications, a subsidiary of SK Telecom, which is the number one provider of mobile telecommunications in Asia.

About Passions
“Passions” is the creation of celebrated daytime drama scribe James E. Reilly, who is considered by many industry insiders to be one of the most innovative and prolific writers of his time (TV Guide named him one of Television’s Most Valuable Players, February 2001). “Passions” is produced by NBC Universal Television Studios in association with Outpost Farm Productions, Inc. and is taped in Studio City, CA. Lisa de Cazotte is the executive producer.

http://www.limmy.com/speakingclocks/yoda/

The Force is strong with this one.

Just in time for holiday shopping, Apple Computer’s iTunes downloading service announced that NBC Universal will start porting over episodes from its catalogue for viewing on the new video iPod – or on a user’s home computer.

With this latest move, the number of sci fi-flavored shows available for download has grown from three to six. The cancelled ABC series, Night Stalker, has disappeared from TV but still lives in the iTunes service, along with Lost were joined by four genre shows from NBC, the Sci Fi channel and the Universal TV archives, including:

• Surface, NBC (2005 episodes)
• Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi (2003, 2004 and 2005 episodes)
• Knight Rider, Universal Television (vintage repeats)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (vintage repeats)

As with current episodes of ABC’s Lost and Night Stalker, the new shows’ episodes will be available for sale for $1.99 each. Although they do not offer the quality of a DVD, $1.99 may seem like a very cheap price for a rabid fan who missed an episode because the VCR or TiVo screwed up.

The show no longer appears on the ABC network. Almost all traces of it have been cleansed from the ABC website.

But fans of the recently cancelled remake of Night Stalker have been thrown an Internet-flavored bone by the network.

Although the network TV ratings were too low to justify continuing the Night Stalker story for free on TV, apparently sales on Apple’s iTunes store are good enough for at least one more episode of the series – for a price.

Two weeks ago, ABC abruptly canceled Night Stalker after airing a mere six episodes.

The unlikely series ender was an episode entitled The Source, a cliffhanger meant to be part one of a two-part episode. The “To be continued…” that whetted millions of appetites was not to be for the millions of fans who tuned in each Thursday at 9/8c p.m.

After the abrupt cancellation, fansites quickly took ABC to task for leaving Night Stalker fans in the lurch, not knowing if one of the major characters of the show would survive what looked like an impending death.

ABC was silent. Fans were furious.

The network merely said Night Stalker was no longer being produced. It gave no hint as to whether the three remaining unaired episodes – including the one-hour finale of the cliffhanger episode – would ever be aired.

Then quietly over the Thanksgiving holiday, a seventh episode, The Sea appeared on the iTunes store. The 43-minute, 31-second episode is on sale for $1.99 for playback on a video iPod or home PC or Mac with QuickTime player installed (free with iTunes registration).

There is no word if the two remaining unaired episodes of Night Stalker also would be made available for download on iTunes in upcoming weeks.

For: Fandominion