Hi-Sci-Fi

by Irma Arkus

Every once in a while, television and the Internets conspire in an unholy alliance to produce something so vile that it can only be called irresponsible. I present to you Martha Stewart “pole dancing” video.

Yes, what is itching your lobes is tucked expertly between Yarn Cards and How to Choose a Lamp Shade. If we weren’t into horror, it would have stayed there, but every once in a while, I need to feel a few chills too.

Here comes brrrrr.

This image was uploaded with the post Hating Fox: Network Announces Remake of Torchwood.

by Irma Arkus

Fox is officially the bane of my existence. Not only is Fox responsible for mowing down some of most fan-beloved shows, but its eagerness to remake everything into a watered-down version of its former self is starting to eat at my soul. I present to you the latest attempt to murder us in our stupor while sitting in front of the screens: remaking Torchwood.

I am not saying that it’s a bad idea. In fact, I can see Torchwood in an international setting - a sort of US arm of the specialty unit dealing with all alien threats. But I do ponder at why?

If you are not familiar with Torchwood, a Russell T. Davies show that sprung as a companion piece to Doctor Who, then let me do the introduction. Meet Captain Jack Harkness, an immortal man who wears a coat two sizes larger, and flashes a smile that will seduce every living thing, is in charge of Torchwood, a unit that combats all those dangers that aliens present, while the Doctor is away.

The unit is lovable, sexy, and more than mildly steamy. It’s like X-Files meets Saved by The Bell, but one in which everyone is doing it with everyone else.

In other words, it’s genious fun for grown-ups. And I do mean the kind that US television has failed to produce for decades.

So, my question is: why? Do they really think that the grave injury represented by unruly and flop hems around Jack’s ankles would be a forgivable sin if worn by anyone else?

Do you really see another Jack? Do you see too many gay romances? Do you see? Do you see? I don’t. Naaah. [The Hollywood Reporter]

by Irma Arkus

This week’s True Blood announced the added casting of Kevin Alejandro, a familiar face to viewers of Ugly Betty, Southland, and the now defunct Drive.

Alejandro will be joining the show but he will be playing an unusual addition to an already exciting storyline. Alejandro will play none other than Lafayette’s love interest, a move that will potentially change the face of homosexuality and solidify presence of homoerotica in North American media.

You see, Lafayette is unlike other gay characters which have graced the television screens of North American audiences.

Past shows featuring prominent gay characters, such as the long-running sit-com “Will & Grace,” tended to play into LGBT stereotypes, providing a way for the audiences to accept and connect with homosexuality through familiar, albeit often homophobic concepts.

Clip below showcases Will and Jack, who are an example of two male gay characters who display not only amazing interior design abilities, but also practice law and acting, two relatively soft, white-collar professions. They also braid each other’s hair!

But Lafayette’s presence is one that does not follow this familiar pattern in terms of behaviour, instead showcasing a much different, more complete personae, rather than the carboard(ish) stereotypes easily found in popular shows from “Sex in the City” and “Ugly Betty” to “The Office.”

They tend to be feminized to an extent that they serve as best friends of female protagonists who seek their council on everything from what to wear, to how to manage their lives and relationships. We almost never see their background stories, or see them in actual relationships, something that many LGBT communities actively complained about in the past.

Wonderfully depicted by Nelsan Ellis, Lafayette is unlike those characters. In some ways he is an embodiment of discriminatory patterns. He is a gay, black man, residing in a relatively stagnant, small town of southern Bon Temps.

But that is where the distinguishing qualities of Lafayett are showcased. Though flamboyant in his attire, he is also an individual aware of his strengths and abilities, as well as his physical capacity.

A mover and a shaker, Lafayette is a rare fish in a small pond, and he often supplements his income by engaging in variety of legal and illegal schemes. Highly intelligent, provocatively well spoken, and a natural charmer, he wheels and deals to the best of his ability. He mostly trades in drugs, in particular V, named to represent actual vampire-blood used by inhabitants of True Blood universe as a hallucinogenic and a short-term metamorphic substance; but he also engages in potential prostitution, and runs operations such as various internet businesses, including one in which he allows online viewers to pay for dancing in his own living room.

His main source of income though, is a string of low-skilled, low-paid jobs, and that includes being a line cook at Merlot’s, and occasional work in construction. This separates Lafayette from the usual glamour paved over the streets of New York or other major metropolitan cities, and instead allows us to identify him as part of lower-class, working America.

What Ellis brings to the show is an undeniable physicality to the character of Lafayette. Lafayette is keenly aware that he is an exceedingly attractive male, a quality that he takes full advantage of - after all, he wears a lot of makeup and even satin turbans that in any other setting than the kitchen would allow us to tap into Dior or Haute Couture - but he is also aware of his physical, masculine strength, and he seems very much prepared to use it to defend himself or his principles, displaying a kind of savage nobility that usually falls to heterogenous male protagonists.

Watch what happens when Lafayette’s cooking is rejected with a hefty dose of homophobic remarks:

While the discussion on whether Lafayette is confronting in this scene just another set of stereotypes, in this case, a group of three, lower class, unnecessarily patriotic men in fatigues, who also display a great deal of cowardice despite their outspokenness and initial impetus for aggression, Lafayette does succeed in aggressively confronting them, physically defending and proving his masculine superiority.

Thus, Lafayette represents not the kind of gay man who engages in traditionally feminine roles, which would allow the patriarchal, heterosexual audiences to easily dismiss him. Instead, he presents us with a homosexual character who explicitly showcases his masculine strengths.

Lafayette can very much be understood to be a new type of gay character in American media, one that departs from the acceptable stereotypes, and physically threatens the established status quo.

Lafayette’s character is also very much beloved by female and male audiences. While thus far Lafayette has been clearly depicted as a strong homosexual protagonist, the lack of any romantic involvement on his part has also somewhat slightly diminished his open display of homosexuality. In other words, he has been merely a supporting character that most noted as lively, and interesting, but one that still does not display his sexuality in an fully open fashion.

Now, however, with the announcement of Alejandro joining the cast as the Lafayette’s romantic interest, audiences would be given a chance to consume a relatively new type of gay romance, with undeniably homoerotic tendencies.

This very much invites the question of whether True Blood is acting as an introduction, or gives rise to, a type of “yaoi,” a popular sub-genre of manga comic books predominantly consumed by women in Japan.

Yaoi has thus far largely been ignored by the North American consumers, but the general excitement over Lafayette amongst the female audiences is undeniable, as is the excitement over what is to come in the upcoming season of the show.

Perhaps True Blood will pave the way for more than unexpected characters, but open us to a wider, cultural acceptance as well as the unlikely consumption of homoerotica on a much bigger scale.

by Irma Arkus

Check out the disturbing promotional trailer for Poochinsky, a failed attempt at a TV show with an unforgettable cop duo.

Hint: one of them is a dead cop who entered the body of a dog. Thanks to Mike for the tip.

ps. word “irony” pops into my head when I watch it, even though there is obviously no irony here. for some reason, I am also tempted to file it under “science.”

This image was uploaded with the post True Blood’s Lafayette: Rise of American Yaoi?.

This image was uploaded with the post Goodbye David Tennant and Thanks For All The Fish!.

by Irma Arkus

The finale of the Doctor Who “The End Of Time” special will be forever marked with a death of a beloved character, in this case the Doctor as portrayed by David Tennant. And I hated to see him go.

The heartfelt goodbye, Tennant’s close-up whispering “I don’t wanna go,” hit me square in the chest, forcefully provoking an emotional response.

I know, and you know, that Tennant in real life is not the Doctor, and I presume, nothing alike to him either. But Tennant’s acting skills and passion for this character has revived an almost dead franchise (not to undermine the marvelous debut by Christopher Eccleston) and made us “love him” in an entirely new and unpredictable way, one that can only be compared to what I call “passion of Tom Baker.”

End of Tennant is also an end to a chapter for the franchise, which at this point rules the hearts and minds of UK viewers.

It isn’t however Tennant’s work that we should mire, but rather Russell T. Davies, who started humbly with a vision of the Doctor’s resurrection, only to pump out not one but three (3!) successful television shows.

Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Doctor Who concurrently ran in order to provide a complete immersive experience to an audience thirsting for science fiction with a UK angle in numerous flavours.

And having three television shows was only the beginning. There is also the tireless marketing machine that engages the public in an even broader sense, with Dr. Who music concerts, various benefits and fundraisers, featurettes, television specials, behind-the-scenes video diaries, cartoons, blogs and webisodes of all colours, not to mention the amount of merchandising available.

That said, Tennant’s face represented an important era of Doctor Who series, and while three seasons of watching him perform may sound like a lifetime for an actor, in reality, when compared to Tom Baker’s run at the role who lasted for seven seasons, it does not seem like all that much in particular.

Three seasons is nothing when looking at comparably popular shows. Stargate SG-1 for example, had ten seasons, and the core cast held on for an entire decade, but I digress.

The point is, it could have lasted for longer. Why didn’t it though?

The idea behind Tennant’s decision to move on may be directly tied to the fact that Russell T. Davies has decided that it is time for him to take a break, announcing the franchise is to be left in the competent hands of Stephen Moffat.

On the one hand, Moffat’s work has been quite exciting. Blink, The Girl in The Fireplace, the Doctor Dances, and more importantly, his genuinely interesting work on Jekyll, represent the body of Moffat’s writing.

However, Moffat’s arrival is also hailed as a Reboot, or Restart of the Doctor Who universe. Moffat’s favorite Doctor is Peter Davison, and he apparently has not much love left for current villainous creatures, intending to bring, I am guessing, more gothic themes, more dead and ghostly children.

Moffat’s arrival to the helm has already struck my heart with a pang of panic and fear, but the teaser for the upcoming season has been already eliciting excitement.

So, thank you Tennant. I wish you a lot of luck. The best of luck. And more importantly, thank you Davies! And Moffat…we know where you work.

Not sure how many of you have seen the first part of…DOOM!!! Alright. Not exactly doom, but rather the highly anticipated Doctor Who X-mas special, which will result in hallowing in a new era of the Matt Smith Doctor, and kiss the old one, meaning David Tennant, goodbye.

Thus far, the nailbiting adventure has brought back the old and the bad: John Simms is back as The Master, except somehow even more likeable and charming than the last time around. Turns out, The Master was not crazy, he just can’t stop hearing the drums!!!

Grandpa Noble is back as well, we just cannot figure out why, but we like the old man a lot.

And also, Donna Noble is back! Donna turns out to be one of the select few humans who can resist the Master’s mind-manipulation techniques. As a side effect, Noble is also starting to remember the past, which is a bit of a relief considering that she has left to a cruel, average and miserable destiny, leading the life of a minimum wage temp.

At the end though, we are exposed to not only a swarthy, vocal and somewhat spitty Timothy Daulton, but to a potentially returning glory of Gallifrey.

Here’s the teaser for the Saturday’s conclusion of the End of Time!!!

This image was uploaded with the post Thirst News: True Blood New Casting Updates.

by Irma Arkus

Wow. So many people are being added to True Blood cast that I am starting to seriously suspect some major funding provided to production.

The latest scoop is that we are not only to meet Sam’s younger, long-lost brother, but we’ll also get to meet his father, played by Cooper Huckabee, his mother, as portrayed by J. Smith-Cameron.

But don’t think that the story will be only concerned with Sam’s family background as we also get to meet Lafayette’s mother, played by the wonderful Alfre Woodard.

Natasha Alam is added to the cast as a sexy Fangtasia dancer who catches the eye of none other than Eric.

But that is not all, as Sookie is said to also have a romantic interest in the new werewolf in town, played by Joe Manganiello, who as Alcide Herveaux, helps her find Bill after a “kidnapping”???

Evan Rachel Wood is reappearing as queen of all vampires, but leeks indicate that there will be some kind of vampire king in the mix as well.

Tommy Mickens, a character unknown, will apparently also play an important role in the upcoming season. We just don’t know who it will be, or who it will be portrayed by.

Apparently, Alan Ball wants to shake up our feathers quite a bit this season, adding werewolves and romantic interludes a plenty. Who am I to argue?

The only fly in the ointment is the date for the new season premiere: June, 2010. Long way to go, and nothing to watch.

This image was uploaded with the post Thirsty News: True Blood Casting Update Continues!.

by Irma Arkus

James Frain, the silver tongued Cromwell from Tudors is Franklin Mott!

Mott will be a new vampire in town, one that will capture the attention and heart of…wait for it…our lovely Tara.

Frain was born in Leeds, England, and does actually sport an English accent. This not only automatically propels him into sexy-land amongst the southerners, but also acts as a pair of “invisible glasses,” ie. sudden rise in perception of intelligence.

Tara will hopefully take him down a notch or two, but I suspect that what we’ll be really witnessing is some kind of anglo-version of a latin lover.

This image was uploaded with the post SGU Returns For Season 2, Changes Announced.

we’ve all been soaking up the new show, and unlike other shows this season, SGU has been consistently offering the much needed hard scifi edge to our viewing.

The show has been renewed for the second season, but according to The Hollywood Reporter, many changes are to be expected.

For one, the communications stones have been a fly in the ointment. And their malfunction led the fans to believe that their use will be suspended, or in the least, heavily curtailed.

As far as visiting other planets and meeting alien creatures, the writers promise some of that, but more of a “District 9” version of aliens, rather than the stereotypical “I have gunk on my face” type.

Robert Cooper says that tThe implications of leaving Rush on the planet, the real division that will cause amongst the crew, the judgment of those characters and their actions are going to have a big impact on the show. we have a lot of things planned for the second half of the season, which will be much more serialized.”

As for the girls, apparently a lot of people have been questioning the open sexuality of women (??) to which Cooper elaborates: “I think our female actors are playing strong female characters and they are proud of the characters they’re playing. We didn’t do a good enough job establishing them early on, it took too long for those traits to come to the forefront, and I think people are recognizing that in the later episodes. But that’s the other big hot button — whether sex belongs in sci-fi. It’s a huge deal with our fan base and I think its bizarre to ignore sex as a part of translating the human condition to fiction. If we’re going to try and tell a more realistic character story we need to include those things.”

SGU is returning after holidays, and the first season story lines and principal photography have already been wrapped up. Now, we just have to wait, watch and enjoy. [TheHollywoodReporter

This image was uploaded with the post Thirst News: True Blood Updates.

by Irma Arkus

The show that must go on…goes on.

The latest in Thirst News is that while Emmy Awards decided to entirely circumvent the mention of most excellent writing and acting of True Blood productions, the AFI’s list definitely included the series as impressive, relevant and worthy of lavish praises as well as of tiny, shiny figurines.

Indeed, True Blood appears on THE LIST.

In other news, True Blood casting announced some new faces for the upcoming third season. Theo Alexander, a relative newcomer is joining the cast as “that gorgeous vampire named Talbot.”

Denis O’Hare is also joining the cast, appearing as another vampire lording over a district, possibly dating Talbot.

And Grant Bowler, the man better known for his thick New Zealand accent in Ugly Betty, will get a recurring role on the show, which will lead to some major growls and scowls - you see, Bowler will be a werewolf.

There will be werewolves!

Also, Sam is getting a brother. Marshall Allman has been announced as the new kid on the block that will become a “permanent fixture.” Allman has scored a big, recurring role of Sam’s younger, presumed-lost sibling who comes to find him.

Much more is on the horizon for the show that starts taping in mere days from now, and we will be reporting on the up and coming True Blood news. Stay Thirsty!

This image was uploaded with the post Today Marks The Spot: On this day, in 1963, Doctor Who premiered on BBC TV.

by Irma Arkus

This day in history marks the beginning of one of my favorite television shows of all time, possibly the show that sucked me into the world of science fiction forever: Doctor Who premiered on BBC TV for the first time, back in 1963.

Today, Doctor Who is known as the longest running show on television, and is going through quite the upheaval too.

For those unfamiliar with the Doctor, do tackle the best: all of the fourth Doctor, starring Tom Baker, as well as the new Doctor series by Russell T. Davies are my absolute favorites.

However, David Tennant, the latest of the Doctor incarnations, together with Russel T. Davies, is leaving the show, and is about to be replaced by a much younger version of himself (to think of it, he is progressively getting younger), as portrayed by the newcomer Matt Smith.

The latest Doctor Who special was “The Waters of Mars.”

It not only brought back David Tennant, but it depicted a conflicted Doctor, undergoing some interesting psychological processes. “The Waters of Mars” presented the Doctor with a dilemma.

Upon landing on Mars, the Doctor realizes that he is caught at a particular spot in time and space, marked in history books as a source of great tragedy and inspiration.

If he assists the crew of a science station on Mars, battling the alien creatures trapped in Mars water, he will potentially change the history and halt the progress of human aspiration to reach the stars. Then again, if he does nothing, where does that leave him? What kind of a timelord does that make him?

Undoubtedly, the Doctor is going through some rough patches at the moment.

Now, we await the next Christmas special, “The End of Time” featuring not only the Doctor, but also his nemesis, the only other, albeit mad, timelord in existance, known as the Master.

See preview for The End of Time below:

This image was uploaded with the post SGU: The Misery Must Go On.