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The Zocalo Today

Wordle Welcome and thank you for dropping by. Babylon 5 brought many of us together -- and it remains with us, despite the fact that is no longer in production. The good thing is that the internet gives a LOT of ways to stay in touch. Don't be shy. Join in the discussion today or drop by Facebook or Twitter.

If you have questions or items for the news, drop me a line at sgbruckner@aol.com.

Latest LATEST SCIENCE FICTION NEWS:

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2014

ARROW
Following the first clip released yesterday, The CW has debuted another clip from the season three premiere of "Arrow" this one featuring Oliver Queen taking on both the new Count Vertigo (Peter Stormare) and another unlikely foe. Check it out in the player below! Titled "The Calm," the episode is officially described as follows:

"With crime in Starling City at an all-time low thanks to the Arrow and his team, Oliver thinks he can finally balance being both the Arrow and Oliver Queen and asks Felicity out on a date. However, when a new villain (guest star Peter Stormare) emerges, who has claimed the name Vertigo from the recently deceased Count, Oliver is caught off-guard and someone close to him is hurt. Oliver and a newly suited up Roy take on the Count. Meanwhile, Diggle becomes a father, Lance is promoted to Captain, Laurel joins Arrow's inner circle and Felicity gets a part-time job at a tech store to make ends meet. Also, Oliver fights to regain his company, Queen Consolidated, but comes up against a very worthy opponent – the charming Ray Palmer."

Directed by Glen Winter with story by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg and teleplay by Marc Guggenheim & Jake Coburn, "The Calm" will air October 8. "Arrow" airs Wednesdays at 8 on The CW.

CONSTANTINE
It's been a big week for NBC's "Constantine," which has debuted a behind-the-scenes featurette and over twenty new images, and now a new TV spot and an illustrated poster have made their way online (via Hero Complex). The poster, drawn by "Batman," "Green Lantern" and "Justice League" artist Gene Ha, shows the titular character caught between the forces of Heaven and Hell with Angelica Celaya's "Zed" and Michael James Shaw's "Papa Midnite" behind him.

Seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight – or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her.

Before long, it’s revealed that Liv's "second sight"-an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences–is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

Set to premiere on Friday, October 24, "Constantine" will air Fridays at 10 PM on NBC.

ANTICIPATED MOVIES
BIRDMAN
Birdman (Oct. 17): Birdman really took flight after its impressive debut in August at the Venice Film Festival, where the dramatic, darkly comedic film received a long standing ovation and near unanimous praise from the international press. In his review, The Hollywood Reporter's chief film critic Todd McCarthy praises Birdman's "exemplary cast" and writes, "The film's exhilarating originality, black comedy and tone that is at once empathetic and acidic will surely strike a strong chord with audiences looking for something fresh that will take them somewhere they haven't been before." In a potentially Oscar-worthy performance, Michael Keaton plays a former superhero-movie star trying to make a comeback in theater, but the chaos within his personal life and stemming from his theatrical debut leads to raucous dramatic and darkly comedic moments. The film is also a frontrunner in several other Oscar categories.

BOOK OF LIFE
Book of Life (Oct. 17): Guillermo del Toro and Jorge Gutierrez's The Book of Life uses vivid and ornate animation to depict protagonist Manolo facing a series of trials in the land of the dead, which he must complete in order to come back to life and reclaim the heart of the beautiful Maria. Behind the eye-catching visuals lie the voice talents of Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Ron Perlman and Diego Luna in a well-rounded family flick.

NIGHTCRAWLER
Nightcrawler (Oct. 31): Jake Gyllenhaal's Nightcrawler has already received attention for its creepy trailers as well as the actor's dramatic weight and blood loss while making the indie thriller about an aspiring L.A. crime reporter who gets a little too close to the action. The Open Road film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, where it received a loud standing ovation, with THR's Scott Feinberg saying it was "destined to become a classic" genre film, with co-star Rene Russo having a shot at a best supporting actress Oscar nomination.

INTERSTELLAR
Interstellar (Nov. 7): While much of the plot of Interstellar remains unknown, that hasn't dulled the enthusiasm for Christopher Nolan's latest secretive project. Hints about the star-studded film's focus have been teased out via trailers and a particularly revealing Australian TV spot, which may offer the first indication of the stakes of movie. The epic sci-fi film is expected to feature Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway on a mission to save humanity as the Earth faces an ecological disaster. The film also stars Jessica Chastain and Nolan's good-luck charm Michael Caine. There will also likely be some impressive special effects.

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
The Theory of Everything (Nov. 7): The Stephen Hawking biopic is getting awards buzz after its Toronto premiere, which received a prolonged standing ovation, with Feinberg arguing that stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones have strong shots at landing Oscars for their performances in the Focus Features film directed by James Marsh, who won the best documentary Oscar for his 2008 film, Man on Wire. Feinberg added, "The Theory of Everything checks off a lot of boxes that have historically correlated with Academy success."

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 (Nov. 21): Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and the rest of the Hunger Games gang return for the first installment of the series' two-part final chapter. The film's set to feature more of Philip Seymour Hoffman's Plutarch Heavensbee, including some scenes that may have been digitally constructed following the actor's shocking death, and marks the Hunger Games debuts of Julianne Moore and Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2014

ARROW
The CW sure has honed its ability to seamlessly blend gritty action sequences with romantic comedy tropes over the years...

Arrow is a show about Oliver Queen, a guy who is trying to save the city he lives in from the evil within it by dressing up like Batman, but green. Also, Ollie has ridiculous abs and everyone (especially Felicity Smoak) wants to touch them. The will-they-or-won't-they of Felicity/Ollie ab-touching is the other thing Arrow is about.

This clip from the premiere of Arrow's third season touches on both these topics.

Why is Felicity working at what appears to be a stand-in for Radio Shack? Is that weird to anyone else? Seems like she would be able to get a better job than that somehow, what with the brains and the charm and the pretty and all.

Guess we'll have to wait until the third season premieres next week on October 8th

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
ABC has revealed a new clip (via TV Guide) from "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." which features Elizabeth Henstridge's Simmons going to her new job... with an unexpected company. Is she going in as a double agent? We'll have to wait and see!

The third episode is titled "Making Friends and Influencing People" and is described as follows: "Coulson and his team race against Hydra to get to Donnie Gill – a dangerous gifted with the ability to freeze objects – while Simmons is caught in the crossfire."

Written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Bobby Roth, the episode is set to air on Tuesday, October 7.

Daredevil DAREDEVIL
Marvel and Netflix have today revealed a new (albeit quite familiar) logo for their upcoming "Daredevil" series, which is also set to make a major showing at next week's New York Comic Con. Click on the above art for a larger version! A signing event has also been announced for Saturday, October 11 from 3:45-4:45 p.m. ET at the Marvel Booth (#1354).

For the first time, Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock), Deborah Ann Woll (Karen Page), Elden Henson (Foggy Nelson), and Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk) will meet with fans. All fans who participate in this signing will also receive an exclusive "Marvel's Daredevil" production concept art poster, drawn by Marvel Chief Creative Officer and legendary artist Joe Quesada.

"Marvel's Daredevil" follows the journey of Matt Murdock, who was blinded as a young boy but imbued with extraordinary senses, now fighting against injustice by day as a lawyer, and by night as the super hero Daredevil in modern day Hell's Kitchen, New York City.

Marvel's first original series on Netflix is Executive Produced by series Showrunner Steven S. DeKnight ("Spartacus," "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer," "Angel") and Drew Goddard ("Cabin in the Woods," "Lost," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer," in addition to writing the first two episodes of "Marvel's Daredevil"), along with Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb ("Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Smallville," "Heroes").

"Marvel's Daredevil" is produced by Marvel Television in association with ABC Studios for Netflix.

Hand of God AMAZON GIVES FULL SEASON ORDERS
The process of letting audiences vet pilots has proved fruitful for two recent Amazon Original productions, as both the revenge drama "Hand of God" and the '80s-set comedy "Red Oaks" have been given the greenlight for full season orders on Amazon's Prime Instant Video.

"Hand of God" stars Ron Perlman (Hellboy, "Sons of Anarchy") as Judge Pernell Harris, a rough, law-bending justice who suffers a breakdown and seeks revenge on the rapist who tore his family apart through visions he believes are sent by God through his ventilator-bound son. Directed by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, World War Z), the series co-stars Dana Delany, Garret Dillahunt, Andre Royo, Julian Morris, Elizabeth McLaughlin and Emayatzy Corinealdi.

"Red Oaks" stars Craig Roberts (Submarine) in a coming-of-age story about a young tennis pro named David Meyers working at the Red Oaks Country Club in suburban New Jersey circa 1985 who meets a group of wacky co-workers and tries to think of a major the summer before heading to college. Directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, "Eastbound and Down") and executive produced by Steven Soderbergh ("The Knick," Ocean's Eleven), the series co-stars Richard Kind, Alexandra Socha, Paul Reiser, Ennis Esmer, Jennifer Grey, Oliver Cooper and Gage Golightly.

"We are excited to get working on full seasons of 'Hand of God' and 'Red Oaks,'" said Roy Price, Vice President of Amazon Studios. "These shows come from some of the most talented creators in the business. Customers loved the pilot episodes and we can’t wait to hear what they think of the entire series."

Mockingbird MOCKINGBIRD COMES TO AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
It was first revealed at the San Diego Comic-Con that Bobbi Morse, AKA Mockingbird, would be joining the crew of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and now Marvel Entertainment has confirmed that “Friday Night Lights” and G.I. Joe: Retaliation star Adrianne Palicki has been cast in the role. Palicki will debut in the fifth episode of the series with the potential to return for a few more appearances in the second season.

This isn’t Palicki’s first foray into super heroics, as she appeared in an episode of The CW’s “Smallville” and was cast in the role of Wonder Woman for David E. Kelley’s failed series in 2011.

A member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers in the comics, Mockingbird was first created by Gerry Conway and Barry Smith and introduced in “Astonishing Tales” #6 in 1971. Though she doesn’t have any super powers, she was injected with an experimental serum that gave her enhanced strength and speed. The character also became romantically involved with Hawkeye in the source material.

The “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” cast includes Clark Gregg as fan favorite Phil Coulson, along with Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Chloe Bennet as Skye, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons.

The series is executive produced by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeffrey Bell and Jeph Loeb. Season 2 of “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” will premiere on September 23.

THE ZOCALO TODAY

Be sure to check out The Zocalo Today on Facebook as well as at ISN News: The Zocalo Today on Yahoo Groups.

Did you miss the news from yesterday -- or earlier in the week. Catch up by going to the October News Archive. I have broken up the huge file into months to make it easier to scan through. It will bring you up to date for all that has been going on in the world of science fiction. Go to:
September News.
August News.
July News.
June News.
May News.

Tube ON THE TUBE TONIGHT

7:00pm on FX
Battleship
Lt. Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) is a weapons officer aboard the destroyer USS John Paul Jones, while his older brother, Stone (Alexander Skarsgård), is the commanding officer of the USS Sampson. Unknown to Alex, Stone or the rest of the U.S. Navy, alien invaders have arrived on Earth with plans to steal Earth's resources. When a confrontation with the invaders knocks out the Navy's radar capability, American and Japanese forces must work together to find a way to save the planet.

8:00pm on ABC
Once Upon a Time
Season 4, Episode 2: White Out

8:00pm on TNT
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
When a long-missing page from the diary of assassin John Wilkes Booth suddenly resurfaces, it implicates the great-great grandfather of treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) as a conspirator in Lincoln's death. Ben's globetrotting quest to prove his ancestor's innocence leads him to a closely guarded book containing the nation's deepest secrets.

9:00pm on ABC
Resurrection
Season 2, Episode 2: Echoes
Sheriff Fred and Bellamy fear that Caleb has returned; Janine wants to work on her marriage.

9:00pm on Syfy
Shutter
Photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his new bride, Jane (Rachael Taylor), turn their honeymoon into a working vacation when he snags a prestigious assignment in Japan. As they make their way up a mountain road at night, they slam into a woman who suddenly appears in their path.

10:30pm on CBS
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Season 15, Episode 2: Buzz Kill
A robbery and fatal shooting take place at a medical marijuana shop.

KEEPING UP WITH CAST AND CREW

SPACE COMMAND
Look who are on a sound stage together again -- Bill Mumy and Bruce Boxleitner. Not in this picture, but also on SPACE COMMAND is Mira Murlan.

STAR TREK writer Marc Zicree teams with GALACTICA FX whiz Doug Drexler & Sci-Fi Legends to reinvent classic 50s show as Feature Films.

For more information on this kickstarter project, go to https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/58936338/space-command.

NEW AUDIO DRAMAS
Patricia Tallman and Claudia Christian have developed a series of audio dramas that you will want to listen to. "Anne Manx and The Blood Chase" is the latest episode, but you'll want to listen to them all. Here's a link for you.

https://soundcloud.com/user1452104/anne-manx-episode-recap.





Here is a quote from J. Michael Straczynski about emotions.
I had this theory that the more important and intimate the emotion, the fewer words are required to express it.

First it's in dating: "Will you go out with me?" Six words.
"Honey, I care for you." Five words.
"You matter to me." Four words.
"I love you." Three words.
"Marry me." Two words.
But what's left? What's the one most important and intimate word you can ever say to somebody? It's "goodbye."

While Michael O'Hare (Sinclair), Andreas Katsulas (G'Kar), Rick Biggs (Dr. Franklin), Tim Choate (Zathras) and Jeff Conoway (Zach Allen) are no longer with us, we will not forget their wonderful personalities and talent -- as well as their significant contributions to the BABYLON 5 universe. Be sure to visit In Memory Of for more information about memorial efforts.
Until we met again, in a place where no shadows fall.

BABYLON 5 BIRTHDAYS

OCTOBER
Dylan Neal - October 8
Jeff Conaway - October 5 - Gone too soon
John Vulich - October 10
Tim Choate - October 11 - we miss you
John Copeland - October 13
Linda Huse - October 16

Have I missed anyone? If you know the birthday of someone connected with Babylon 5, pass the information along. We want to include everyone in our Happy Birthday Wishes.


Go to http://www.hollywoodscifi.org/ for more information.

BABYLON 5 MUSIC VIDEOS AND TRIBUTES

John Hudgens has created many Babylon 5 videos, but I believe this is the most moving. It was first shown at the Phoenix Comic Con 20th Anniversary and honors many of the Babylon 5 family who have passed on.

Here is a link to John's Babylon 5 videos:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Babylon5MusicVideos?feature=watch

Richard Biggs memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyD4L8yNtsA

Andreas Katsulas memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2UQ2l9NPIg

- This is the extended version that I did for Andreas' widow ater the original cut was released on the net. It's never been seen online until now.

For those of you who've never seen these, I hope you enjoy them - and for those that have (and emailed me many times over the years about releasing them), I hope they're as good as you remember. Working with Joe on these videos was one of the highlights of my career, and I'll be forever grateful to him for the doors these have opened for me. I'm proud to have them on my resume.

John Hudgens
www.zteamproductions.com


Calendar




CRYSTAL COAST CON
Date: October 18, 2014
Place: Mac Daddys Family Entertainment Facility, Cape Carteret, NC
B5 Guests: Pat Tallman and Bill Blair
Pat will be a media signing guest. The facility located at 130 Golfin Dolphin Dr., Cape Carteret, NC 28584
For more information, go to http://www.crystalcoastcon.com/.

LONDON FILM AND COMIC CON WINTER
Dates: October 18-19, 2014
Place: Earls Court 2, Old Brompton Road, SW5 9TA
Guests: Katee Sackhoff, Nicola Bryant, Ralph Macchio, Christopher Cousins, Colin Baker, David Prowse and many more
For more information, go to http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/

Spooky's Ultimate Horror Weekend
Dates: Oct. 24-26, 2014
Place: Doubletree Universal Studios, Orlando, FL 32819
Guests:
Michael Rooker - Walking Dead & Jeremiah; Stephen Pearcy - Ratt; Dee Wallace Stone - ET & Cuju; Tyler Mane - Halloween & X Men, and Tobin Bell - Dexter
For more information, go to http://www.spookyempire.com/.

MALTA COMIC EXPO
Dates: October 31-November 2, 2014
Place: Mediterranean Conference Center, Valletta, Malta
Guests: Richard Piccardo, Dirk Benedict,Silvester McCoy and many more
For more information, go to http://maltacomicsexpo.com/.

LOSCON 41
Dates: November 28-30, 2014
Place: LAX Marriott Hotel, LA, California
Babylon 5 Guest of Honor: J. Michael Straczynski
For more information, go to http://loscon.org/41/.

STAR TREK SAN FRANCISCO: NEXT GENERATION REUNION
Dates: December 12-14, 2014
Place: Hyatt Regency San Francisco, CA
Guests: KATE MULGREW, JAMES DARREN, ROBERT PICARDO, Klingon Representatives GOWRON AND MARTOK, GARRETT WANG, DOMINIC KEATING AND CONNOR TRINNEER, JONATHAN FRAKES, BRENT SPINER, LeVAR BURTON, MICHAEL DORN, GATES McFADDEN and MARINA SIRTIS
For more information, go to www.creationent.com/cal/st_sanfrancisco.html.

MAGIC CITY COMIC CON
Dates: January 16-18, 2015 Place: Miami Airport Convention Center
Comic Guests: John Romita, Jr., Allen Bellman, Adelso Corona, Greg Kirkpatrick, Dan Scott
For more information, go to http://www.magiccitycomiccon.com/.

STEEL CITY CON
Dates: December 5-7, 2014
Place: Monroeville Convention Center, Monroeville, PA
Guests: Adam West, Burt Ward, Linda Blair, Henry Winkler, Michael Dorn, Peter Mayhew, Terry Farrell, John Wesley Shippe, and more.
For more information, go to http://www.steelcitycon.com/.

FED-CON 24
Dates: May 21-24, 2015
Place: Maritim Hotel, Dusseldorf, Germany
Guests: Sam Jones, Aaron Douglas, Grant Bowler and more to come
For more information, go to http://www.fedcon.de/en/.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Wizard World Conventions has a large number of events planned for the year. Be sure to visit the page to see if there is a convention of interest near you.

Creation Entertainment has a large number of conventions planned for the next several months. They include stars from TWILIGHT, SUPERNATURAL, STARGATE, FARSCAPE, XENA, SERENITY, STAR TREK, etc. Check out their calendar to see if one will be in your neighborhood soon. Don't miss their Videos page as well. It is full of some priceless video from a number of conventions.

Be sure to visit the referenced sites to see if there have been changes in dates/guests attending. Visit our Convention Calendar for a full listing of upcoming conventions.

BACK ISSUES OF THE ZOCALO TODAY

The front page of the The Zocalo Today changes daily, so be sure to check the back issues to make sure that you haven't missed anything IMPORTANT! I hope you will become a regular visitor to The Zocalo Today!


Take care and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sandra Bruckner (sgbruckner@aol.com)
Editor/Publisher
ISN News: The Zocalo Today

http://www.isnnews.net
Copyright - SBruckner, 1999-2014

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