Sunday, September 30, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/30/2007

9/30/1967:
In a marquee showdown of the three preeminent Thoroughbreds of the era, Damascus defeats Buckpasser and Dr. Fager by 10 lengths in the Woodward Stakes at Aqueduct. He'll win Horse of the Year honors for 1967; Buckpasser won the award last year and the Doctor will win it next year.

Birthdays:
Robin Roberts b. 1926
Johnny Podres b. 1932
Jamal Anderson b. 1972
Martina Hingis b. 1980
Dominique Moceanu b. 1981

QUIRKY HISTORIES

The life of Florence Baker is the stuff of old-fashioned swashbuckling movies: She was born in Hungary in the mid-1800s, orphaned as a girl, raised in a Turkish harem, auctioned as a slave, then kidnapped by an Englishman who married her and took her to Africa in search of the source of the Nile. The two fell deeply in love with one another and shared a life of adventure as they explored the jungle. To the Heart of the Nile is an amazing story of a woman, her husband, and the continent that bound them together.

TO THE HEART OF THE NILE: LADY FLORENCE BAKER AND THE EXPLORATION OF CENTRAL AFRICA, by Pat Shipman (Harper Paperbacks, 2005)

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Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/29/2007

9/29/2001:
IBF/WBC middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins scores a TKO over previously unbeaten WBA champion Felix Trinidad at 1:18 of the 12th ans final round to unify the title and become undisputed middleweight champion of the world at Madison Square Garden. The 36-year-old Hopkins (40-2-1) dictates the pace of the bout from the outset before a predominantly pro-Trinidad crowd. His hand speed, ring movement and punching power war down Trinidad's defenses until a straight right to the chin ends it in the 12th, manifesting his nickname "the Executioner."

Birthdays:
Ellsworth Vines b. 1911
Kermit Zarley b. 1941
Carol Blazejowski b. 1956
Sebastian Coe b. 1956
Hersey Hawkins b. 1965

A masterful work of fiction—only the second novel of Taylor’s long career as a short story writer—A Summons to Memphis documents the genteel decline of a Southern family. The Carvers are exiled from Nashville when Mr. Carver, a lawyer, is betrayed by a client. The move sets into motion a long, languid chain of events that changes the fate of each family member. The Philadelphia Inquirer likens the book to “a leisurely port wine sipped slowly and with pleasure beneath a blackjack oak.”

A SUMMONS TO MEMPHIS, by Peter Taylor (1986; Vintage, 1999)

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Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/28/2007

9/28/1969:
Joe Kapp becomes the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw seven touchdown passes as the Minnesota Vikings rout Baltimore, 52-14, at the Met in Bloomington. Kapp joins Sid Luckman, Y.A. Tittle and Adrian Burk, who by a twist of fate is helping to officiate today's game as a back judge.

Birthdays:
Alice Marble b. 1913
Tom Harmon b. 1919
Steve Largent b. 1954
Grant Fuhr b. 1962
Emeka Okafor b. 1982


NAVAL GAZING

“Astonishing...brave and electrifying.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The Outlaw Sea is impossible to put down.”—People

There is no patch of earth now that is not owned by a government, controlled, regulated. Except the ocean. Water covers three-quarters of the earth, and yet it is still frontier. Pirates, polluters, terrorists, and tsunamis, the sea remains wild. Atlantic Monthly contributor Langewiesche introduces us to the fascinating, little-known life of the sea around us.

THE OUTLAW SEA: A WORLD OF FREEDOM, CHAOS, AND CRIME, by William Langewiesche (North Point Press, 2005)

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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/27/2007

9/27/1953:
Third baseman Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians is thrown out at first base by an eyelash in his final at bat of the season and loses the American League batting title to Mickey Vernon of Washington, .337 o .336. Even more painfully, Rosen loses out on a chance for a rare Triple Crown, having led the AL in homers (43) and RBIs (145). It's the second batting crown for Vernon-he also won in 1946 with a .353 mark.

Birthdays:
Johnny Pesky b. 1919
Kathy Whitworth b. 1939
Mike Schmidt b. 1949
Monte Towe b. 1953
Steve Kerr b. 1965


HISTORICAL FICTION

A mother-daughter story and a tale of loss and reckoning, Graver’s first novel, after her acclaimed short story collection (Have You Seen Me?; Ecco Press, 1993), is lovely and memorable. A 19th-century New Hampshire woman looks back on her life and her choices, including her decision to work in a Lowell, Massachusetts, mill and carry a baby out of wedlock. Graver’s writing is quiet and assured, and her story will stay with you.

UNRAVELLING, by Elizabeth Graver (Harvest Books, 1999)

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apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 4

Sunday, September 30
STL @ DAL - Dallas
HOU @ ATL - Houston
BAL @ CLE - Baltimore
OAK @ MIA - Miami
CHI @ DET - Chicago
NYJ @ BUF - Buffalo
GB @ MIN - Green Bay
PIT @ ARI - Pittsburgh
SEA @ SF - Seattle
TB @ CAR - Carolina
DEN @ IND - Indianapolis
KC @ SD - San Diego
PHI @ NYG - Philadelphia

Monday, October 1:
NE @ CIN - New England

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apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 3 - Results

Oof, this week hurt. A few surprises to me. I only missed 1 of the early games, the rest of the day and Monday was my downfall.

Week 3:

Sunday, September 23
Detroit @ Philadelphia – PHI – Philadelphia 21-56
Arizona @ Baltimore – BAL – Baltimore 23-26
Indianapolis @ Houston – INDIND 30-24
San Diego @ Green Bay – GB – GB 24-31
Buffalo @ New England – NE – NE 7-28
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay – TB - TB 3-24
Miami @ NY Jets – NYJ – NYJ 28-31
San Francisco @ Pittsburgh – PIT – PIT 16-37
Minnesota @ Kansas City – MIN – DET 10-13
Cleveland @ Oakland – CLE – OAK 24-26
Jacksonville @ Denver – DEN – JAC 23-14
Cincinnati @ Seattle – CIN – SEA 21-24
Carolina @ Atlanta – ATL – CAR 27-20
New York Giants @ Washington – WAS – NYG 24-17
Dallas @ Chicago – CHI – DAL 10-34

Monday, September 24
Tennessee @ New Orleans – NO – TEN 31-14

And for my Favre/McNabb comparison of the week:

McNabb – 21/26 (8/77%), 381 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, WIN

Favre – 28/45 (62.24%) 369 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, WIN (TD pass #418, 419 & 420)

Totals for 3 weeks thus far:

McNabb, 64/105, 60.96%, 805 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT, 1 W/2 L

Favre, 77/125, 61.6%, 861 yards, 6 TD, 2 INT, 3 W/0 L

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Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/26/2007

9/26/1974:
The Houston Aeros of the WHA defeat the St. Louis Blues of the NHL, 5-4, in the first exhibition game ever played between the rival leagues. Don Larway scores twice for the Aeros, including the game winner with just over six minutes left. Rich Preston, Andre Hinse and Poul Popiel also score for Houston, the defending WHA (Avco Cup) champions, who delight nearly 8,000 fans at the Sam Houston Coliseum by gaining a modicum of respect for their three-year-old league against NHL competition.

Birthdays:
Bobby Shantz b. 1925
Dave Casper b. 1951
Craig Heyward b.1966
Craig Janney b. 1967
Serena Williams b. 1981

INVESTIGATIVE NONFICTION

Here is a memoir that fans of murder mystery novels will devour. Bell, an Australian journalist, became interested in poison when she learned that her grandfather poisoned two of his sons. Her story deftly intertwines details about famous historical and literary poisonings, information about poisons and how they work, and her dark family history. A creepy, but utterly engrossing tale.

POISON: A HISTORY AND A FAMILY MEMOIR, by Gail Bell (St. Martin’s Press, 2002)

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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/25/2007

9/25/2001:
Leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 9-4 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Jeromy Burnitz and Richie Sexson become the first teammates to hit three home runs apiece in the same game. It's the fourth time this year that a Brewer has had a three-homer game. Geoff Jenkins had one on April 28, and Burnitz achieved the same feat on May 10.

Birthdays:
Phil Rizzuto b. 1918
Hubie Brown b. 1933
Bob McAdoo b. 1951
Scottie Pippen b. 1965
Chauncey Billups b. 1976


The Washington Post says Our Kind is “the book you read along with Updike and Cheever” and The New York Times Book Review calls it “exquisite.” The linked stories are of suburban matrons who came of age in the 1950s and are now without husbands (divorced, in most cases) and children (they’re all grown). How do they spend their days now? Ogling the pool boy, meddling in the realtor’s life, looking up old boyfriends, and finally spreading their wings now that they have nothing left to lose. An uplifting read.

OUR KIND, by Kate Walbert (Scribner, 2004)

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Monday, September 24, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/24/2007

9/24/1975:
Mets ace Tom Seaver's bid for a no-hitter is thwarted in the ninth inning for the third time in his career when Cubs outfielder Tarzan Joe Wallis singles to right field with two men out. (He's lifted for a pinch hitter in the 10th inning and winds up with a no-decision when the Mets lose in the 11th.) Seaver also lost a perfect game bid against the Cubs in 1969 when Jimmy Qualls singled with one out in the ninth and another in 1972 when Leron Lee of San Diego also singled with one out in the ninth. He'll get his no-no eventually, but not with the Mets. Pitching for Cincinnati in 1978, he'll no-hit St. Louis, 4-0.

Birthdays:
Jim McKay b. 1921
John Mackey b. 1941
Mean Joe Greene b. 1946
Rafael Palmeiro b. 1964
Eddie George b. 1973


You know the Enron story from reading the newspapers, so why read Kurt Eichenwald’s book about it? First, for entertainment value: Here is a big, taut, shocking thriller, more suspenseful than most novels. And second, for the historical insights: Eichenwald’s scope is bigger than just the players at Enron. It’s a portrait of a time in our nation’s history when people believed that an Internet company selling toys could be worth more than General Motors. The New York Times Book Review raves that Conspiracy of Fools “ranks with A Civil Action as one of the best nonfiction books of the last decade.”

CONSPIRACY OF FOOLS, by Kurt Eichenwald (Broadway, 2005)

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Sunday, September 23, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/23/2007

9/23/1967:
Coached by Bill Yeoman and featuring a revolutionary offense known as the veer option, the Houston Cougars demolish Michigan State, 37-7, before a stunned audience at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The Coogs pile up 416 yards of total offense, led by scatback Warren McVea (14-155) and quarterback Dick Woodall, who throws TD passes to Ken Hebert for 77 yards and Don Bean for 75 in the second half, as the best-kept secret in Texas thrashes the 1965 and 1966 co-national champions.

Birthdays:
Marty Schottenheimer b. 1943
Larry Mize b. 1958
Pete Harnisch b. 1966
Tony Mandarich b. 1966
Eric Montross b. 1971


CHICK LIT

Nora Blackbird goes from riches to rags when her parents leave town and leave her with a punishing tax bill. What’s a Philly socialite to do? She gets herself a job as a society scribbler at the local paper. When she finds a local millionaire (and family friend) murdered at his own party, she soon becomes a society sleuth. Zany complications and romance make this first in the Blackbird Sisters series a breezy, escapist chick lit romp. “Great clothes, great mystery, great fun!” says fellow chick lit author Jennifer Crusie.

HOW TO MURDER A MILLIONAIRE, by Nancy Martin (Signet, 2002)

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Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/22/2007

9/22/1973:
Led by third-string sophomore quarterback Joe Bruner and running back Dan Darby, visiting Memphis State upsets Ole Miss, 17-13. It's only the second victory in 28 meetings for MSU against the Rebels, and the defeat is so galling for Mississippi that chancellor Porter Fortune requests permission from the state board of trustees to make drastic changes. Only three games into the season, Coach Billy Kinard and his father, athletic director and Ole Miss immortal Bruiser Kinard, will be summarily fired and replaced by long-time coach John Vaught, who retired three years ago after a mild heart attack following 24 exemplary seasons on the sidelines for the Rebels.

Birthdays:
Tommy Lasorda b. 1927
Ingemar Johansson b. 1932
Vince Coleman b. 1961
Dot Richardson b. 1961
Mike Richter b. 1966

MEMOIRS

“A heartbreaking and perversely beautiful book that should join Catch-22 and The Things They Carried as this generation’s defining literary expression of men at war.”—James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces

When John Crawford joined the National Guard to pay for college, he never dreamed he’d be sent to war. But the semester before his graduation, the call came. He served in Kuwait and Iraq, and documented his experiences in tough, vivid pieces that became this memoir. Intense, the book is an insight into war and how it transforms men.

THE LAST TRUE STORY I’LL EVER TELL: AN ACCIDENTAL SOLDIER’S ACCOUNT OF THE WAR IN IRAQ, by John Crawford (Riverhead, 2005)

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Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/21/2007

9/21/1975:
The Montreal Canadiens strip the veneer of invincibility from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. the Broad Street Bullies, during a preseason game at the Spectrum. With Montreal already leading 6-2 late in the game, scrappy Doug Risebrough picks a fight with Flyers captain Bobby Clarke, the Montreal bench empties and in quick succession, Canadiens enforcer Rick Chartraw is pummeling Flyers bad boy Dave Schultz and Pierre Bouchard of the Habs is doing the same to Wolfman Jack McIlhargey. Les Habitants pour it on until referee Bruce Hood waves the clubs off the ice for good with 1:45 remaining. Having taken the physical play to the Flyers in their own rink and won handily. Montreal will never look back, winning the next four Stanley Cups in a row.

Birthdays:
Sam McDowell b. 1942
Artis Gilmore b. 1949
Eddie Delahoussaye b. 1951
Sidney Moncrief b. 1957
Cecil Fielder b. 1963

IF YOU LIKE THE WEST, YOU’LL LOVE...

Beloved literary writer and author of The Border Trilogy (Picador, 2002), McCarthy’s newest book is a gritty western. But McCarthy is not known for mindless entertainment. Amid the thrills and chases and dirty dealings you expect from that genre, McCarthy ruminates on the nature of temptation and good and evil. No Country for Old Men is a rare treat—literary and exciting.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, 2006)

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Thursday, September 20, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/20/2007

9/20/1987:
Jan Stephenson defeats Nancy Lopez by one stroke to win the Safeco Classic in suburban Seattle. It's her first tournament victory since suffering serious injuries in a car accident earlier this year, causing her to drop out of a tournament she was leading after three rounds. Stephenson fires a four-under-par 68 today and finishes 11 under par for the tourney, earning a first prize check of $33,750.

Birthdays:
Red Auerbach b. 1917
Tommy Nobis b. 1943
Dave Twardzik b. 1950
Guy Lafleur b. 1951
Bonzi Wells b. 1976

Indian Summer is so sweet and delightful you’ll be astonished more people don’t know about it. It’s the story of three Americans in Florence and the love triangle that forms amongst them. John Updike says that “a midlife crisis has rarely been sketched in fiction with better humor, with gentler comedy, and more gracious acceptance of life’s irrevocability.”

INDIAN SUMMER, by William Dean Howells (1886; New York Review Books Classics, 2004)
William Dean Howells worked at the Atlantic Monthly and later Harper’s Magazine, where he collaborated with writers including Mark Twain and Henry James.

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The Young'uns Do Miss Them Some Buffy

From Mediaweek.com
The Young'uns Do Miss Them Some Buffy


In my earlier years I dreaded the thought of traveling for business. But with age comes wanderlust, and my wrinkles were tickled pink when I was asked by Kevin Sandler, the assistant professor of media arts at the University of Arizona, to speak to his students about television.

So, four months after giving a talk on the upcoming TV schedule to the Phoenix Advertising Club, I headed back to Arizona as a guest lecturer for two of Dr. Sandler’s classes and to give my earlier presentation at a separate event.

Five minutes before I was about to make my debut as a "teacher," a wave of panic suddenly washed over me: Would I be able to sustain the interest of the students for one full hour? Would they start throwing things? What would be my escape route? Could I jump out the window without hurting myself and sprint back to my hotel?

To make matters worse, Dr. Sandler actually warned me that some of these students don’t watch a lot of TV. Huh? Who are these kids? TV was my very lifeblood when I was their age. Would I clump into the class, the original neanderthal, and find myself in front of dozens of bright-eyed aliens?

In my days, rocking a groovy shirt, bell-bottoms and a gigantic dome of hair was the average student look. Most of these kids looked like they were headed to the beach. I didn’t see an inappropriately tight maroon turtleneck once. When I was in college, there were three broadcast networks, three independent stations and PBS in most big markets. The idea of a computer was a mammoth piece of machinery hidden in a "lab." These days, the average TV household has over 100 channels, and you can be online at every given moment via a laptop or Blackberry.

Needless to say, I felt somewhat out of my comfort zone as a "prof." But once I warmed the students up with some well-placed self-deprecation and a joke or two about the current and future crop of TV shows, I realized that TV still is the universal language.

I could have spent hours on end talking to these students because they were not the only ones there to learn. I, too, was getting an education listening to what they had to say about TV. While I pride myself for thinking I know exactly what every age group is watching on TV, guess what? I don’t.

And I was stunned to hear that most of these students do not like nonscripted programming—American Idol included. They don’t watch mainstays like Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor and Big Brother; they are bored with The Real World and would prefer to watch a good meaty drama. Remember, these are students studying media. I shudder to think what the pre-med and accounting departments would have said.

Interestingly, most of the programs they watch are on cable, not broadcast, because they consider the cable landscape more creative. They are fans of FX’s Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me; HBO’s Entourage and Flight of the Conchords; and Showtime’s Californication and Weeds. The only network show, in fact, that they seemed to universally agree is good is NBC’s The Office.

Prior to my classes (hey, Mom look, I’m a teacher!), they were given an assignment to watch the pilot episodes of ABC’s Cavemen and Pushing Daisies, and Fox’s Back to You. Of the three, I can promise you this: They will not be watching Cavemen. When one of the students asked me why ABC scheduled it, I was struck mute for a minute, which doesn’t happen often. What could I say?

They were more optimistic about Pushing Daisies, but felt the premise was limited (I agree), and were mixed about Back to You. The one show the majority said they loved, and still miss, is Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. But no one in the two classes said they would watch upcoming CBS vampire drama Moonlight because, according to one student, "It’s not on cable. So, I doubt it will be that good." Ouch.

While I tried to explain the obstacles the broadcast networks face trying to fill 22 hours every week, it more or less fell on deaf ears. "HBO or Showtime is better because there are no restrictions on the language and nudity," said another student.

Try explaining to a college student that adult language and human anatomy is secondary to good TV and you’ll get nowhere!

I capped off my second day at the University of Arizona with my annual fall prime-time presentation given in a room that housed about 150 students. As I walked around campus satisfied with what I personally accomplished, I came to the jarring realization that in just two years my older daughter Jackie will start college. I made a beeline to the nearest lottery machine.

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Nathan Fillion to headline Creation's Serenity Salute in October

From Creationent.com
Nathan Fillion to headline Creation's Serenity Salute in October

Click on the link :

http://www.creationent.com/cal/serenity.htm

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Angel Season 6 Comic: NY Mag article

From Nymag.com -
Angel Season 6 Comic: NY Mag article

Joss Whedon freaks (like us!) will be excited to hear that Angel — the WB drama that started as a mediocre spinoff of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and wound up, five seasons later, as one of the best shows on TV — is returning for a sixth season. When we last saw Angel, the vampire with a soul, back in 2004, he, Spike, and their friends were facing down about a million hellish monsters in a dark and rainy alley. "Personally, I kinda wanna slay the dragon," Angel said, and the series ended in blackout. It was a great series-ending episode, but we always wished we could find out what happened next.

But now Whedon is bringing Angel back, in comic-book form, for season six. Launching in November, the series follows the lead of the phenomenally successful Buffy: Season Eight, which has been awesomely carrying the story of the Slayer forward since this spring. Unlike the Buffy comics, the Angel series doesn’t look like it’ll be written by Whedon, but we’re still really, embarrassingly excited for this.

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TV Hero: Tim Kring Readies Season Two of NBC Hit Heroes

From mediaweek.com

TV Hero: Tim Kring Readies Season Two of NBC Hit Heroes
by A.J. Frutkin


Heroes creator Tim Kring shows off his new iPhone to a guest in his office. First, he conferences two separate callers onto his line. Next, he gets on the Web, and heads to a site offering guitar lessons (Kring is an avid strummer and guitar collector). Then he shifts to the iPod, noting he's already downloaded—what else?—Heroes' pilot episode.

But for all its super-powers, the iPhone still lacks one thing Kring craves. "I'd like to be in multiple places at once," he says. "That would be very helpful."

After last season's success with the series, Kring has observed he no longer manages a show. He manages a brand. Indeed, there are Heroes-related downloads, Webisodes, online games and a graphic novel. A line of high-end, Heroes-related merchandise will be available in the NBC Experience store this fall. The DVD release of season one hits shelves nationally on Aug. 28. The series itself has been licensed in approximately 150 foreign territories. In fact, Kring and the cast leave on a world tour Aug. 25 to promote both the DVD release and some of those overseas broadcasts.

Stateside, Kring goes into production on 24 more episodes of Heroes, plus six episodes of Heroes: Origins. And he knows next season has got to be as good as the last—if not better. Either way, he says, "A second season of this show can't look like the first season of the show." To that end, Heroes made a number of casting announcements earlier this summer, adding three new regulars and ten new recurring characters to the show. Kring acknowledges that with the entry of new roles comes the exit of old ones. As to whom he'll kill off, though, Kring is undecided.

"It's just that so many of these characters really popped," he says. "But one of the blessings—and curses—of the show is that it defies expectations on a weekly basis. It lives or dies by these moments where the audience says, 'Wow, I didn't see that coming.'"

Along with defying expectations, part of the impetus to up the ante on Heroes also is due to the surprising ratings drop it suffered last spring. On April 23, after seven weeks off the air, Heroes returned with the first of its final set of original episodes. But it drew only 12 million viewers—a 19 percent drop from its seasonal average of 14.8 million viewers. The broadcast scored a 5.3/13 among adults 18-49—marking a 20 percent decline in the demo from its 6.6/15 average.

Kring offers several reasons for that drop, including an earlier introduction of daylight savings time and the increased competition offered by ABC's spring cycle of Dancing With the Stars. He also says the show's scheduling may have contributed to its ratings drop.

Long before NBC knew whether Heroes would be a hit last year, the network had fanned out the show's 23 original episodes over the course of the 36-week season. Consequently, the series aired in what Kring refers to as pods, with cliffhangers carrying viewers from one pod to the next. And for much of the season, it worked. That is, until the final break in March and April, before the last run of original episodes.

"The biggest issue was the idea of breaking the habit of a habit-forming show," Kring says. "Like any addiction, if you break that addiction, it's hard to jump back on." Kring's previous series, NBC's crime procedural Crossing Jordan, offered close-ended stories, whereas Heroes' are serialized in nature. And, in a 36-week season, Kring sees a vast difference between the two formats. "I think a close-ended show has an easier time," he continues. "You can put in a rerun and it does okay. But on a show like [Heroes], where you can't really rerun the episode, you're just out of sight and out of mind."

Other contributing factors to the show's ratings decline, Kring says, were the numerous storylines that he and his writing staff found themselves having to wrap up by season's end. "This idea of having to pay off things in episode 23 that we'd set up in episode 1," he says. "It got very complicated to drag that much story behind us."

So much so that Kring has restructured season two to include several so-called volumes. The show's initial volume, Heroes: Genesis, ran from September through May last season. Volume 2—Heroes: Generations—will be shorter, ending in December, at which point Volume 3 will begin.

Kring believes the structural change will tighten the show's writing. "This idea of volumes allows us to tell stories in a slightly shorter arc than you would normally do in a season," he says. "This way, we can end a storyline when we determine if it's the end of a storyline."

Even as NBC saw ratings decline for Heroes at the end of last season, network execs knew they would need to rely on Heroes throughout the coming season, as they once again will try to pull themselves out of the ratings basement. So, rather than tighten up Heroes' schedule and air it in a contiguous fashion, as Fox does with 24, NBC announced last spring that it would bulk up Heroes' output by producing Heroes: Origins, an anthology series initially comprised of six episodes, each of which will introduce new characters. Based on fan feedback, some characters could live on either in the series or on other platforms.

"The show posits a world where these characters are popping up all over the place," Kring says. "So why not carve out a separate series-within-the-series that could focus on the origin stories of some of the characters whom we don't know." With the addition of Origins, the show expands from 24 to 30 episodes for the season. And even though buyers have supported NBC's move, some still question whether upping production might negatively impact the series as a whole.

"The show could gain in creativity or it could suffer," says John Rash, Campbell Mithun's chief broadcast negotiator. "To the degree that Heroes, or any program, is the unique vision of an individual, it can make an already taxing task even harder to keep up with."

Ben Silverman agrees. The recently appointed co-chairman of NBC Entertainment admits Heroes is carrying a lot of weight for the network. But he believes Kring is up to the task. "Tim is a great executive producer," says Silverman. "And he knows how to manage it."

Despite his role as Heroes' creator, Kring says the show is less the product of his vision than it is that of his entire creative staff. And so, to avoid adding to his staff's workload, Kring is looking to outside writers for help on Origins. At last month's Comic-Con, the annual convention of comic book and fantasy fans held in San Diego, Kring announced that indie filmmaker Kevin Smith (Clerks) will write and direct one of Origins' episodes.

"The real key is to try and not tax the production here," Kring says. "But to carve out an entirely separate production, with an entirely separate team of writers, directors, and crew—except for a couple of people at the top. Because I really believe that even though it does not necessarily connect that tightly to the world of Heroes, it still occupies that same world."

As Origins gets off the ground, Kring has begun formulating what this anthology series might look like. With only six episodes airing, Kring knows he's got to hook viewers quickly. "If we're going to dig in and tell one story [per episode], I'm a little wary of that. Maybe that character doesn't connect and doesn't land. So how do you get traction in only two weeks?" he asks, rhetorically.

The answer, he believes, may be in telling two stories per episode, perhaps with each crossing over to the other. And they don't have to be 30 minutes. "You could do one 38-minute story, and one 12-minute story," Kring says.

In hopes of avoiding the type of effects-driven look that Heroes demands, Kring also is hoping to scale back production on the anthology series. "Because it's all about character and all about what happens to these people at the first blush of discovery, you could very easily tell a story that takes place on a bus going down [Los Angeles'] Wilshire Boulevard."

A lingering question about Origins regards when it will air in the season. To get the biggest bang out of the original series, conventional wisdom might have assumed NBC would run Origins in that March/April bloc, and hold the Heroes season finale for May sweeps. But as it stands, the network is planning to run Heroes continuously, and follow it with Origins' six episodes. "We have gone back and forth on this," says Katherine Pope, president of Universal Media Studios, which produces the series. "But the plan is still the plan."

Kring has known Pope since Crossing Jordan. It was his first pilot—and hers, as an executive. Kring first took Heroes to Pope. For advertisers, Kevin Reilly, NBC's former entertainment chief, is widely perceived as having championed the series. But Kring says he has relied more on Pope, adding her continued presence on the show helped ease the news of Reilly's departure.

Now, Reilly's oversight on the series falls to Ben Silverman, who counts himself among Heroes' many fans. "This is a very strong and important franchise for the network," he says. "So I'm going to give it all the attention that is required, vis-à-vis marketing it, and making sure it gets everything it needs."

Despite last spring's ratings drop, Silverman also believes the show can grow. "You make sure you save some marketing dollars to use against it," he says. "And the fact that Heroes is an established series this season always helps. You hope to see more pop—that people who didn't see it last season, will want to see it this season," he continues.

"It's easier to grab those viewers when a show starts in the fall. Sometimes they don't want to join midway through the season. So I think there's a real opportunity to expand out from the show's group of loyal viewers."

It was Dennis Hammer who bought Kring the iPhone. "He likes toys," says Hammer, who has been Kring's business partner for about eight years. Hammer describes Kring's creative method as one of collaboration. "We have a saying," Hammer adds. "If you're ego-driven with lots of drama, you don't do well in Kringsville."

Kring's democratic approach to TV production may come from having spent years in the trenches as a writer. In fact, his leap from Crossing Jordan to Heroes seems less anomalous knowing that his first TV job was on the pseudo-sci-fi cop show Knight Rider, after which he wrote the TV horror movie Bay Coven and the feature comedy Teen Wolf Too.

Heroes' success has catapulted Kring to a short list of A-tier creators who wield enormous power in Hollywood. And the creative freedom that he's achieved still seems to come as a surprise. "For many years in my career, I never made a decision. I went wherever there was a job. I still remember the first time I had to choose between two jobs," he says, noting it was two TV movies. "And I realized after 12 years of writing, that I was completely ill-equipped to make these kinds of decisions."

With one of the most lucrative development deals in TV history, Kring, 50, seems more prepared to choose. Although he hasn't set upon an idea to follow Heroes, he says the show's success on multiple platforms has opened his eyes to emerging formats. "I think you would be very remiss to go in and pitch a show nowadays that does not have some thought placed on how it is going to tell stories in some of these alternate platforms," he says. "The old model of making a show and selling it into syndication and rerunning it just doesn't work anymore. And as people get their entertainment on iPods and cell phones and computers, the new model has to be able to tell stories on all these multiple platforms."

Heroes, he adds, was designed to do just that. And so will his next project—whatever it turns out to be. "We're approaching a time when the audience finds their entertainment in a very different way," he says. "I'm very interested in the idea of where it's all going next, and trying to be right there. I don't want to be the guy who missed the wave when it hit the shore."

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Bones s.3 U.S. air dates & titles

From Thefutoncritic.com -
Bones s.3 U.S. air dates & titles

9/25/07 (Tuesday) - 8pm - Episode 1 - ’The Widow’s Son on the Windshield’
10/2/07 (Tuesday) - 8pm - Episode 2 - ’Death in the Saddle’
10/9/07 (Tuesday) - 8pm - Episode 3 - ’The Soccermom in the Mini-Van’
10/23/07 (Tuesday) - 8pm - Episode 4 - ’The Secret in the Soil’
10/30/07 (Tuesday) - 8pm - Episode 5 - ’The Mommy in the Maze’

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Joss Whedon's Runaways, Issue 29 Details

From Wizarduniverse.com
Joss Whedon's Runaways, Issue 29 Details

Written by JOSS WHEDON - Penciled by MICHAEL RYAN - Cover by JO CHEN - “DEAD END KIDS”

The Runaways find themselves in the middle of a super-powered gang war in 1907! To make matters worse, two figures from the Runaways’ past show their faces. Mr. and Mrs. Yorkes don’t believe that the Runaways played such an innocent role in their daughter’s death. Heads will roll! Part 5 (of 6)

32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

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Buffy s.8: You gotta have Faith!

From Wizarduniverse.com
Buffy s.8: You gotta have Faith!

YOU GOTTA HAVE FAITH!

Fan favorite (and apparently creator favorite!) writer Brian K. Vaughan recently took over writing chores on Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 at Dark Horse. Whedon himself made the title a consistent top seller in his initial run, and it looks like a new name (even though Whedon is still credited as “executive producing”) isn’t scaring away the hordes of fans that jumped on the book.

“No Whedon, no problem,” says Chris Canibano of Calliope’s Realm Comics in Naperville, Ill. “This book continues to sell record numbers for an indie book and beats out most Marvel and DC titles as well. No matter how many copies we order, we sell out as we get at least three new customers a week looking to pick up the entire run. We have sold out of our fourth reorder on issues #1 to #4 and just sold out of issue #5 and #6 today. So long as Joss Whedon’s name is on the cover, this book will continue to sell. Hopefully IDW will be smart enough to put his name prominently on the Angel series that is coming up, as that book could be huge for us as well.”

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apckrfan's NFL picks: Week 3

Week 3:
Sunday, September 23
Detroit @ Philadelphia - PHI
Arizona @ Baltimore - BAL
Indianapolis @ Houston - IND
San Diego @ Green Bay - GB
Buffalo @ New England - NE
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay - TB
Miami @ NY Jets - NYJ
San Francisco @ Pittsburgh - PIT
Minnesota @ Kansas City - MIN
Cleveland @ Oakland - CLE
Jacksonville @ Denver - DEN
Cincinnati @ Seattle - CIN
Carolina @ Atlanta - ATL
New York Giants @ Washington - WAS
Dallas @ Chicago - CHI

Monday, September 24
Tennessee @ New Orleans - NO

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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Sports Fact and Book Rec of the Day 9/19/2007

9/19/1970:
Only a week after completing a Grand Slam of all four major women's tennis titles, Margaret Smith Court is upset by Chris Evert in the clay-court Carolinas Classic. Yesterday, the 15-year-old from Florida beat Francoise Durr with a patient, deliberate baseline game, and today she shocks the tennis world by outlasting the all-time leader in major singles titles, 7-6, 7-6. Evert will lose to Nancy Richey in the finals here tomorrow, but the high school sensation from Fort Lauderdale will go on to an extraordinary career of her own, winning 18 major titles, fourth on the all-time list.

Birthdays:
Willie Pep b. 1922
Andre Boudrias b. 1943
Joe Morgan b. 1943
Sidney Wicks b. 1949
Randy Myers b. 1962


SPIRITUALITY

“An astonishing book, unsentimentally, baleful, yet oddly affecting. I have never read anything quite like it.”—Witold Rybczynski

“Infinitely moving and powerful, just dead-on right, and absolutely original.”—Joan Didion


“Like his neighborhood, the author’s book is organized into small numbered lots...and in them he seeks to find his own place in the spiritual grid.”—The New Yorker

Suburban California is brilliantly evoked in Waldie’s series of short, taut essays. You’ve never read a memoir this original or atmospheric.
s
HOLY LAND: A SUBURBAN MEMOIR, by D. J. Waldie (St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997)

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Fanfic updates through 9/19

If these links don’t come through you can access them at my main fan fiction page: www.phantomroses.com/apckrfan/fanfic and then clicking on the appropriate fandoms. All of these fics are at my LiveJournal fic journal and my Yahoo Groups fic group if you prefer. Below you will find all the updates since August 27:

Anne-onymous
Part 15 added Aug. 29, 2007 and is complete. This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel fic with spoilers through Anne, pretty AU after that though canon events are referred to. Buffy never goes back to Sunnydale after Anne and ends up married, knee deep in the evil she hoped to escape. This begins during Season 3 of Buffy, but moves in Season 4 of Buffy/Season 1 of Angel. This is a Buffy/Lindsey and Buffy/Angel fic.

She's the End of the Rainbow
Added Aug. 29, 2007 and is complete in 1 part. This is a Heroes future fic with general spoilers through Season 1. Claire has to come to grips with the fact her mother cannot attend her wedding. It's more or less a gen fic, but does fall under the Claire/the Haitian 'ship umbrella.

Living On the Edge
Part 4 added Sept. 4, 2007 and is complete. This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fic with spoilers through Restless (BtVS 4x22) and To Shanshu In LA (Angel 1x22). Buffy meets a freelance vampire hunter while at her dad's on summer break after defeating Adam and The Initiative. She doesn't realize befriending him is going to bring her right back into Angel's world when they've been so careful about avoiding one another. This is a Buffy/Gunn fic.

Desert Sunlight
Through Part 9 added Sept. 19, 2007 and is a WIP. This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Medium crossover. Buffy is in Phoenix in search of a slayer and encounters someone who seems to know who she is. This is a crossover with MEDIUM. Spoilers for all of Buffy (Season 7 for sure, possibly Season 8 comics) and Medium general spoilers, though this would really take place in about Season 1 of Medium (though I'm using information obtained in Season 2's Knowing Her 2x19 for background on Lee). This will be a Buffy/Lee Scanlon fic.

Holding Out For Heroes
Added Sept. 14, 2007 and is complete in 1 part. This is a Firefly fic with spoilers through Jaynestown. His talk with Mal leaving him unsatisfied, Jayne is unable to get over the idea that someone took a bullet for him. He pays River a visit not wanting to admit to anyone else on the ship how much it bothers him. This is a River/Jayne fic and is written for the 30_fluffs LJ community: Prompt #14-lies; trickery with bonus challenge: weapons.

And You Wanna Run
Added Sept. 15, 2007 and is complete in 1 part. This is a Dexter fic with spoilers through Return To Sender (1x06). Rita's enjoying the new woman she's slowly becoming. She just hopes it's not too late to set a good example for Astor and Cody. This is a gen fic with Rita/Dexter implied. This fic is written for my friend Katie who requested some Dexter fic.

The One I Want To Go Through Time With
Through Part 2 added Sept. 19, 2007 and is a WIP. This is a The Breakfast Club fic and is set five years after the movie. On the verge of becoming engaged, home for a visit Claire takes Richard Vernon's words to heart and visits John Bender five years later out of morbid curiosity. This is based on the following quote by Richard Vernon: You think he's funny? You think this is cute? You think he's "bitchin," is that it? Let me tell you something. Look at him - he's a bum. You want to see something funny? You go visit John Bender in five years. You'll see how goddamned funny he is. This is a Claire/John fic.

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