'Masters of Science Fiction': ABC Special starting the 4 Aug.

I saw a blurb on this and found the webpage:

http://abc.go.com/specials/mastersof...

Looks like quality production, scripts and acting. Here's
hoping (sadly for only 4 weeks).

Nice, thanks for pointing this out.

I remember being on some SF forum a few years ago when people were asking why one of the networks wouldn't try this given the huge number of stories out there that could be filmed. So somebody must have listened to the fans at some point.

Looks pretty cool. I hope it gets enough ratings for this to be a regular mini-series type deal.

Thanks for the heads-up.

It's awesome and ironic that it's narrated by Stephen Hawking.

Compare this:

The third installment is "Jerry Was a Man" (SATURDAY, AUGUST 18), featuring Anne Heche and Malcolm McDowell. Michael Tolkin ("The Player," "The Rapture," "The Burning Season") directs from a script he wrote based on the classic Robert Heinlein story.

to this:

The series concludes with "The Discarded" (SATURDAY, AUGUST 25), based on the short story by seven-time Hugo Award winner, three-time Nebula Award winner and Science Fiction Grand Master Laureate Harlan Ellison.

(Emphasis mine)

Wow. Gush much?

I mean I like Harlan as much as the next guy (though probably not nearly as much as Harlan likes Harlan) but there is a bit of a disparity in the acknowledgement of these two authors, both of whom are extremely accomplished.

I know, I read too much into things, but it kinda jumped out at me.

Thanks for the heads-up!
Hopefully this will be good.

Crouton wrote:

It's awesome and ironic that it's narrated by Stephen Hawking.

How will we know it's actually Stephen Hawking? The guy could have an assistant phone his parts in if he's busy on other projects.

The series concludes with "The Discarded" (SATURDAY, AUGUST 25), based on the short story by seven-time Hugo Award winner, three-time Nebula Award winner and Science Fiction Grand Master Laureate Harlan Ellison.

[/quote]

Yeah, I'm guessing he requires people to call him that now.

It's why he's so well-liked

The sum of my knowledge of Harlan Ellison basically comes from when he was hosting Sci-Fi Channel's The Prisoner marathon, a little over 10 years ago. So basically all I know about him is that he hates the phrase "sci fi" and won't say it out loud.

Harlan is pretty funny in his tantrums, one time he was insulted that he was in the same room as the Penny Arcade guys mere "comic authors". Then Gabe said he really liked that Star Wars episode he wrote, which is double insulting because he wrote a Star Trek episode and he hates to be reminded that he actually wrote an episode of a television show and then Gabe pretends to get the name wrong. I think he left the room at that point.

This could be pretty cool, Sam Watterson is in one of them so at least there's that. And Harlan did write the script for his own episode. Going to have to check this out.

Harlan Ellison is a great writer. If you're into Science Fiction you might want to read some of his work.

Unfortunately everything I've ever read about the man leads me to believe that he is also an arrogant prick.

I always think of him as one of those writers who were part of SF when it started getting taken way seriously by the counter-culture types in the 1960s. If people start kissing your ass, calling you a world-changing genius, you often turn into an a-hole. I guess he never grew out of that.

Ellison used to have a bit section on the scifi channels "Scifi Buzz." It was five minutes of him ranting about...anything. Nothing was beyond his contempt. He would even vent about science fiction fans. Yes, he's not above biting the hand that feeds him.

Uberstein wrote:

Compare this:

The third installment is "Jerry Was a Man" (SATURDAY, AUGUST 18), featuring Anne Heche and Malcolm McDowell. Michael Tolkin ("The Player," "The Rapture," "The Burning Season") directs from a script he wrote based on the classic Robert Heinlein story.

to this:

The series concludes with "The Discarded" (SATURDAY, AUGUST 25), based on the short story by seven-time Hugo Award winner, three-time Nebula Award winner and Science Fiction Grand Master Laureate Harlan Ellison.

(Emphasis mine)

Wow. Gush much?

I mean I like Harlan as much as the next guy (though probably not nearly as much as Harlan likes Harlan) but there is a bit of a disparity in the acknowledgement of these two authors, both of whom are extremely accomplished.

I know, I read too much into things, but it kinda jumped out at me.

It could also be that regular folks are more likely to recognize Heinlein's name without any need to be told he was great. Ellison, on the other hand... *shrug*

I thought about that, but then it struck me that regular folks aren't really any more likely to have heard of Heinlein than Ellison.

By regular folks, I guess I'm saying those who have never been avid Science Fiction readers.

Yes, yes, Starship Troopers was made into a movie, but I'd bet if you mentioned Heinlein to one who had recently seen that film, they would respond, "Who?"

But "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Have Space Suit, Will Travel" will both trigger some sort of response usually, and there are a couple other titles (or "TANSTAAFL") that folks might recognize. What's Harlan done that everyone's heard of?

I'm not married to this idea, but I think it's possible that when they put the marketing together they thought that lots of folks would say, "Who the [fudge] is Harlan Ellison (and why does he deserve to be billed with Heinlein)?"

OK, so the first episode wasn't the greatest, not a strong swimmer.

What was the point?

Next week looks a bit more promising.

I couldn't even finish it. It was that bad to me.

I didn't think it was awful, but maybe on par with those newer Outer Limits.

Heinlein pwns Ellison by a substantial margin. I wouldn't say it's like a level 70 pwning a level 1 noob...more like Illidan pwning a harmless rabbit in Elwynn Forest.

<--- no bias here

So based on the first episode and the short preview of the upcoming ones, did ABC mean to call this series "Masters of Anti-War Fiction"?

Not too bad. I mean, there are worse things you could have on in the dark with a girl.

I dug it somewhat. It did seem to have low production values though. I've set the rest of the series to record so we'll see how that pans out. I'm a sucker for anything apocalyptic.

Episode two was bad. "I don't understand your cultures! They frighten me!" IMAGE(http://rps.net/QS/Images/Smilies/rolleyes.gif)

Khoram wrote:

So based on the first episode and the short preview of the upcoming ones, did ABC mean to call this series "Masters of Anti-War Fiction"?

At least ep 3 doesn't seem to... wait, I think they said the guy in question was a former soldier, so you might be right.

Episode two was bad. "I don't understand your cultures! They frighten me!"

It was about Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer?

Harlan is pretty funny in his tantrums, one time he was insulted that he was in the same room as the Penny Arcade guys mere "comic authors". Then Gabe said he really liked that Star Wars episode he wrote, which is double insulting because he wrote a Star Trek episode and he hates to be reminded that he actually wrote an episode of a television show and then Gabe pretends to get the name wrong. I think he left the room at that point.

sh*t, that's where I'd heard his name before! Ellison writes a very complimentary intro to one of the Sandman trade paperbacks, which I am just now getting around to reading (top notch, btw. Unf*ckingbelieveable by comic standards). Kind of ironic that the only other place I'd heard his name that "stuck" was in association with another comic.

buzzvang wrote:
Episode two was bad. "I don't understand your cultures! They frighten me!"

It was about Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer?

Yeah, I even repeated his "I'm just a caveman, your technology frightens and confuses me" line while watching the episode.

That line was actually spoken by the US President.

That second ep was just Bad with a capital B. I stand by my original statement. I mean, regardless of whether or not you are anti-, pro-, or neutral- war, that episode was laughably bad. Was that end dialog by the president written by the same 11 year old who wrote the end dialog by the vice-president in Day After Tomorrow?

Khoram wrote:

I mean, regardless of whether or not you are anti-, pro-, or neutral- war

All I know is, my gut says "maybe."