Sci-Fi Saturday: Updates from TCA, Comic Con and more

In the last week we have had both the Television Critics Association event and of course Comic Con, so there is a whole lot going on out there in the world of Sci Fi news. Just too many things to mention in the quick summary so just click the more link and fill your brain genre goodness.

MOVIE NEWS

Comic-Con 08: Terminator Salvation Panel
Director McG was joined by the cast (except for Bale who was in Japan promoting "The Dark Knight") of "Terminator Salvation" at the panel for the film. Here are some highlights (more highlights at this link–click for a description of the footage shown):

• McG mentioned the film is only 50% complete and that no CGI has been added.
• He told the audience that he has listened to the fans and even went to see James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger before making the movie.
• They’re not making the movie for a specific rating.  It could be R-rated, it could be PG-13.
• The movie takes place in the near future-2018.
• Hinted at the T-100 model being a part of the mythology of Terminator (Arnold cameo?).
• He announced that a full trailer will be attached to this November’s "Quantum of Solace".
• McG also revealed that Jonathan Nolan ("The Dark Knight") was "the lead writer of the film" adding “I don’t know how the WGA rules work but honest to goodness, we did the heaviest lifting with Jonah.”
• Click here for a photo of a new poster.

McG Talks Terminator Salvation
Checking in from the set of "Terminator Salvation", director McG wrote a new blog posting on the official site discussing the film’s visual style and a little about the film’s story.  Here are some highlights:

"All three Terminator films took place present day, with Terminators traveling back in time to attack. This picture takes place after Judgment Day. It happened. Everything is gone. The story of the movie is the "brink moment" Reese always talked about."

"We have set out to achieve a completely new visual style that hasn’t been seen before. We’re shooting the film on color stock but are using a method inspired by the Oz process which was developed at Technicolor by Mike Zacharia and Bob Olson. Basically we are adding three times as much silver. It creates a surreal texture that is in keeping with the notion of the entire picture – feeling detached from the world we know today."

"The richness of the story is really coming out now. It’s a Prometheus tale really, how creating life creates real responsibility – and if left unchecked, can be our undoing. "

Comic-Con 08: Watchmen Panel + Moore Still Not Watching The Movie
The entire cast and director Zack Snyder were in attendance for the panel on "Watchmen".  To read the complete summary of the clips that were shown, click here.  Here are some highlights from the panel and other "Watchmen" related news that came out of or was announced around Comic-Con:

• Snyder created a special title sequence for the start of the movie that’s not in the original Moore-Gibbons graphic novel. It was created to show the passage of time from the early days of the Minutemen to where they are in the film currently.
• Asked about Alan Moore, Gibbons said: "I wish Alan could have the same sort of excitement and experience that I have."  On that front, Alan Moore once again insisted, in an interview with EW, that he has no intention of watching the film.
• Click here to download and listen to interviews with the cast and crew.
• Warner Bros. Interactive has announced plans to publish at least two "Watchmen" game episodes, with the first scheduled to premiere alongside the film’s theatrical release next March, and the second around the DVD launch.  The games will be download-based, and will be available on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC platforms. [Variety]
• Asked about the just-announced games, Snyder assured everyone that the games will not and "can’t be an afterthought".
• Snyder expressed an interest in seeing Frank Miller’s Graphic Novel "The Dark Knight Returns" made into a movie. He expanded on his desire at a EW panel which included Miller.
• At the same EW panel (Entertainment Weekly Visionaries session) he revealed that they’ve filmed the transitions featured in the graphic novel that take the main storyline into the Freighter comic and that they’ll show up in his directors cut of the movie (presumably to be released on DVD).

Comic-Con 08: Levi Alexander Off The Punisher: War Zone?
A rumor is quickly circulating out of Comic-Con that Lionsgate/Marvel have kicked director Lexi Alexander off of "The Punisher: War Zone".  The film is done filming, but according to /Film, there are apparently huge creative differences between the director and studio over the final cut.  AICN also reports that the film’s composer is off the project.  Watch the just-released R-Rated Red-Band trailer below and check out a new poster at this link.

Orci and Kurtzman Talk Transformers 2
Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, writers of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", told MTV not to expect any Dinobots in the sequel: “We couldn’t quite figure out how to justify a robot that would pretend to be a dinosaur,” Orci said.  The duo also shot down a re-appearance of Megatron: “Didn’t he get thrown into the bottom of the ocean?” Kurtzman laughed, with Orci adding, “That would be silly” in regards to the characters return.  Lastly, Orci revealed that while the first film was about a boy and his car, this one is “..about being away from home. It’s a few years later and Sam is going to finally go to college and he’s going to face being away from home just as the Autobots are having to deal with being away from Cybertron.”

Avengers Will Feature Iron Man, Nick Fury, Hulk, Thor and Captain America, Says Louis Letterier
Louis Letterier revealed that not only is Jon Favreau currently writing "Iron Man 2" with Robert Downey Jr., but that the sequel will feature Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), according to DenOfGeek.  Additionally, the site reports that the 2011 "Avengers" movie will bring together Ed Norton (Hulk), whoever is cast as Thor and Captain America, Jackson (Fury) and Downey Jr. (Iron Man).

Raimi on Spider-Man 4
Sam Raimi, writer/director of the first three "Spider-Man" films told SCI FI Wire that the proposed fourth installment in the series (slated for release in 2011; James Vanderbilt is writing the script) is still in the early stages: "I’m waiting for the script to come in," Raimi said in an interview with reporters at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 24. "I’m going to be a producer on it, and I’m waiting to see the script." Raimi said he isn’t sure if he will be directing the next installment: "I don’t want to be presumptuous, so we’ll see if Columbia Pictures is going to offer me the [directing] job," Raimi said, with typical modesty. "I’m just waiting for all those things to take place."

NEW IMAGES

Dragonball

Jennifer’s Body

Max Payne (another poster at this link)

Monsters vs. Aliens (more here)

Terminator Salvation

True Blood

Watchmen (more here)

The Wolfman

NEW VIDEOS

Saw V

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Extended Action Scene) [HD Version]

Watchmen [HD Version]

MOVIE BITES

• Comic-Con 08: Francis Lawrence confirmed that a prequel to "I Am Legend" is being developed and that Wil Smith is interested in returning. [ShockTillYouDrop]
• Comic-Con 08: Alex Proyas laid to rest the rumor that he would be directing the "Silver Surfer" movie:  "Unfortunately that is just a rumor. I don’t know where that came from," Proyas told the crowd at Comic Con. “I do like Silver Surfer, but I’m not going to be doing it". [/Film]
• Comic-Con 08: At his panel for "Zack & Miri Make A Porno", director Kevin Smith revealed that after his next film (a horror project) he will be making a movie set in space testing "his abilities as a visual filmmaker". [/Film]
• Comic-Con 08: Justin Marks ("Hack/Slash") told /Film that he’s penning a new Sci-Fi film in the style of "Children of Men": "I want to bring the genre of space travel back to contemporary science fiction. The movie starts with a murder in zero gravity and goes from there."
• Comic-Con 08: Alexandre Aja ("Mirrors") told SCI FI Wire that his upcoming reboot movie "Piranha 3-D" will "use that new conversion [3-D] technology," adding: "It’s going to be the first real movie made with that new system".
• Comic-Con 08: Click here to download and listen to interviews from the cast and crew of "Red Sonja". [ComingSoon.net]
• "The Dark Knight" will have grossed more than $300M domestically by Monday, making it the largest grossing movie of the year in just 10 days, breaking several records on the way.
• Warner Bros. and Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way are in the early stages of developing material for a feature film take on one or more episodes from the classic TV series "The Twilight Zone". [THR]
• MGM has confirmed prior reports that Darren Aronofksy ("The Fountain") will direct "RoboCop", signing the director onto the project and also signing David Self ("Road to Perdition") to write. [ComingSoon.net]
• Universal has opened the website for "The Wolfman" (April 3, 2009).  Check it out at TheWolfmanMovie.com.
• DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg told ComingSoon.net that George Lucas is looking into turning the six "Star Wars" films into 3D: Katzenberg told us that Lucas is very excited about it and that he’s got the technical resources to pull it off. ‘He isn’t going to put a product out, I think, that isn’t anything other than first rate,’ Katzenberg said.
• Peter Berg ("Hancock") has been tapped by Universal Pictures to produce and develop a new film based on Hercules.  "Hercules: The Thracian Wars" will be written by Ryan Condal and is based on a five-issue comic book series by Steve Moore, which debuted this past May. [Variety]
• "Fanboys" will be released in theaters this September. [IESB]
• Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions studio has teamed with Radical Pictures to develop a live-action feature film from the five-issue comic book series "Freedom Formula", created by Edmund Shern.  The comic book will be introduced at Comic-Con and be released in August. “This is a timeless story about young people struggling to break free of authority. That’s what ultimately appealed to me,” Singer said. [Variety]
• The Mattel hoverboard from "Back to the Future Part II & Part III" will be sold at an auction.  Starting bid is $30,000. [eBay]
• Platinum Studios Inc. has confirmed that Michael Rymer, "Battlestar Galactica" producer and director, has been tapped to direct the comic book adaptation of "Witchblade". [ComingSoon.net]
• D.J. Caruso ("Eagle Eye") told reporters that he’s still very interested in directing the big-screen adaptation of Brian K. Vaughn’s "Y: The Last Man" comic: “I was talking to Shia [LaBeouf] about this yesterday when we were looping him, because he really wants to do it as well, I would like to prep this movie in October, and start shooting it by January." [/Film]
• Walt Becker has been tapped by Columbia Pictures to direct the time-travel action film "Stealing Time".[Variety]
• New Line has hired Wesley Strick to write a re-launch of its "A Nightmare on Elm Street" horror franchise. The new project will keep the high-school setting and delve deeper into the psychology of nightmares and Krueger himself.  It’s being prepped for release in time for the 25th anniversary of the original. [THR]
• In an interview with G4, Gary Oldman (Lt. Gordon) confirmed that Warner Bros. is working on a video game based on "The Dark Knight".  It’s being prepped for release around the time of the DVD/Blu-ray release of the movie. [G4]
• Bryan Singer is in negotiations to produce "Capeshooters", an adaptation of Rob Liefeld’s upcoming graphic novel.  The screenplay is being written by J.P Lavin and Chad Damiani. [THR]
• The official website for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" has been updated with a logo for the sequel.  Check it out below.

CASTING BITES

• Tim Burton and Disney are in final talks with Australian actress Mia Wasikowska to play Alice in Burton’s take on the classic novel by Lewis Carroll "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland". [SCI FI Wire]
• AMC has announced new cast members for its upcoming miniseries "The Prisoner".  The new additions are: Ruth Wilson (Number 313); Hayley Atwell (Number 41-5); Lennie James (Number 147); and Jamie Campbell-Bower (Number 11-12).[SCI FI Wire]
• Roland Kickinger, told the Clinton New Record that he’s playing "…Arnold’s character in the first Terminator. That’s basically my role, but 20 years before, so it establishes how the Terminator [came] about," in "Terminator Salvation".
• Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama of "Battlestar Galactica") is playing one of the two main detectives in "Law & Order: UK", a UK version of the American "Law & Order" series.  It begins production in August and will air on the UK channel ITV. [E! Online]
• Megalyn Echikunwoke ("The 4400") has been cast as the new coroner on CBS’s "CSI: Miami". [EW]
• Katie Holmes ("Batman Begins") is scheduled to make a guest appearance on the second season of ABC’s "Eli Stone".  They’re keeping the specifics of the cameo secret, but ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson teased: "I was at the table read. She was fabulous. It’s a great role for her. There’s actually some singing and dancing that she does. She’s exquisite." [via SCI FI Wire]

TV NEWS

Comic-Con 08: Title Change for Wizard’s First Rule, Now Called Legend of the Seeker + New Trailer
The biggest news out of the panel for the Sam Raimi produced Syndicated series "Wizard’s First Rule", was that the show’s title has been changed to "Legend of the Seeker". According to the panelists and the author, Terry Goodkind, the name change was made to focus on the hero of the book, rather than the main book of the series.  Here are some highlights:

• The first season will be 22 episodes, inlcuding the two-hour season premiere and each episode will standalone from the rest.  The season will cover the main plot points of "Wizard’s First Rule".
• They announced that Bruce Spence ("The Matrix Revolutions") will portray Zedd and Jay Laga’aia ("Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith") will portray the boundary patrolman Chase.

Comic-Con 08: Heroes Season Two DVD Includes Extra Episodes + Cast Talks Upcoming Season
During the panel for the show at Comic-Con, it was announced that the season two release on DVD will include some unaired episodes which were shot but cut due to the writers strike. Click here to read a summary of the panel, including a spoiler for who shot Peter at the end of the first season. In other news, several members of the "Heroes" cast (returns September 22nd with a clip show at 8pm ET/PT and a two-hour season premiere at 9pm) discussed the show’s upcoming season and where their characters are headed. Hayden Panettiere (Claire) on her character next season: "It’s a very different world [in the future], and it’s kind of, as you can imagine, a world gone a little bit awry, and she’s a very different person than she was." Panettiere went on to reveal that she’ll be playing "two different characters for a second, because we pop back and forth a little bit from the present to the future." Zachary Quinto (Sylar), meanwhile, was coy when asked if his character may have any redeeming qualities saying only that "[It’s] possible and that "it depends on what his motivation is, you know what I’m saying? He has a lot of different reasons to do things this year."  Read more from Masi Oka (Hiro) and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter) here and here.

Comic-Con 08: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog Sequel Planned
At the Joss Whedon ‘Dr. Horrible’ panel, it was confirmed that there are plans in place for a sequel and they also talked about the upcoming DVD.  Here are the highlights:

• Whedon: "The idea is that there will be another part, so we’re not going to tell you about it yet."
• A soundtrack should be available within a couple of weeks.
• There will be a contest for the DVD: "You’ve probably heard about “Commentary: The Musical”…there are songs written for it. We are also going to have a little contest. We are going to take video submissions for the Evil League of Evil. No longer than 3 minutes, like you’re applying to be on Survivor of something. We’ll put the 10 best ones on the DVD."
• Nathan Fillion revealed that a special website was designed so Dr. Horrible could use his iPhone as a remote control during the series.  You can do the same thing with your iPhone by going to this website.

Caprica Decision Still Not Made + Moore and Bamber Talk BSG
Mark Stern, SCI FI Channel’s executive vice president of original programming, told reporters that a decision hasn’t been made on whether "Caprica", the prequel to "Battlestar Galactica", will premiere as a TV movie or as the first part of a new series.  Discussing the project, co-creator Ronald D. Moore told reporters that the prequel will foreshadow events in "Battlestar Galactica": "It’s something that Adama [Edward James Olmos] said in the ["Battlestar"] miniseries, you know: ‘You don’t play god and then get to walk away from what you created.’ And that’s really the story of "Caprica". A decision on when and how the TV movie will air is due later this year.  Moving back to BSG, Jamie Bamber, who plays Lee Adama on the series, told SCI FI Wire that the upcoming  10 episodes will answer all the outstanding questions and mysteries: "Yeah, yeah, everything," he said. "I can’t really think of a really loose thread. … Not off the top of my head."  Bamber said that fans can expect a "really, really good ending" and "a real ending".  Concluding that he believes the writers "really took it upon themselves to be responsible for all the strange twists and story points and surprises and to try and resolve everything in a way that makes sense."   Watch a trailer for "Caprica" below.

Dollhouse Pilot Re-Worked
"Dollhouse", the upcoming Fox drama from Joss Whedon, is getting a new pilot.  In a post at Whedonesque.com, Whedon explained that the original pilot  "…didn’t bring the visceral pop the network had expected from the script. The network was cool about it, but not sure how to come out of the gate with the ep.”  The original pilot will now air in week two. Despite what many may believe–that Fox is interfering and the series is doomed–think again.  Joss says that "the idea to do a new first episode wasn’t the network’s. It was mine."

Life on Mars Pilot Revamped + New Casting
ABC’s remake of the British series "Life on Mars" will have a slightly altered mythology from the original show, says executive producer Josh Appelbaum [SPOILERS]: "We talked to the creators of the BBC show and asked if we could change the mythology of Sam Tyler, and we got permission to do it," Appelbaum said at the TCA summer press tour. "With this mythological element to it, it’s not just a cop show, and if he was ultimately just in a coma or it was all a dream, it felt a bit unsatisfying. So we made it a deeper mystery." Asked about how they would deal with time-travel stories and whether committing an act in the past would wreak havoc in Tyler’s own future Appelbaum said: "It’s not a time-travel show where he may change something that affects him in the future."  The show recently went through a complete revamp of the pilot and Jason O’Mara, who plays lead character Sam Tyler, is the sole survivor of the changeover.  "Star Trek" vet Colm Meaney, was part of the cuts: "[He] has homes in L.A., spends time in Dublin, England and Spain, so that’s a lot of bases to cover. … He’s got a family."  Lastly, the network just recently announced that Harvey Keitel has been added to the cast.  This is Keitel’s first-ever regular TV series role.
Keitel will play Detective Gene Hunt, who heads up the homicide department.

On Lost, No One’s Ever Truly Dead + Producers Excited To Wrap The Show
Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, executive producers of ABC’s "LOST", told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour that one of the show’s characters may not be gone [SPOILERS].  Asked about the character Jin-Soo Kwon (Daniel Dae Kim), Cuse said: "There will be more of Daniel Dae Kim in the series in some form," with Lindelof adding "In human form".  The two also talked about the upcoming fifth season and preparing for the show’s wrap, with Cuse calling the fifth season a "a tricky year for us," because "it’s like The Two Towers [the second volume in the Lord of the Rings trilogy]."  On the final season, Cuse added "We’re very excited about it, and we have known a lot of what we wanted to do there for a long time. So, really, the challenge for us and what we’re working on right now is how do we make this season engaging and exciting about the final season of Lost?"

Eleventh Hour Star Sewell Avoided British Series
British actor Rufus Sewell, who stars in CBS’s upcoming Sci-Fi series "Eleventh Hour" told reporters at the TCA summer press tour that he purposely avoided watching the U.K. series of which the show is based and doesn’t want to be compared to original star Patrick Stewart. "When I realized that it was based on that series, I studiously avoided looking at it." Also speaking at the TCA summer press tour were producers Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff.  The two spoke up the science aspect of the show, with Voris telling reporters that the series is "science fact as opposed to science fiction. I just think that we’re trying very hard to ground our show in the real world." Teasing future episodes, Reiff said "We’ve got an episode that deals with genetically engineered agriculture, cryonic preservation, [and] there’s an episode that deals with a cancer cure that has sort of gone awry and is being used for nefarious purposes," Ethan Reiff said.

SCI FI Reveals Development Slate, Movie Slate and New Series Orders
The SCI FI Channel has announced a new slate of development projects, including an original miniseries from Bryan Singer and new alternative-reality projects.  From SCI FI Wire:

• Bryan Singer miniseries project – SCI FI re-teams with Singer and his Bad Hat Harry Productions to develop an all-new action-adventure miniseries based on an original idea of Singer’s. The project will be written by Richard C. Matheson (Masters of Horror, Nightmares and Dreamscapes). Singer will executive-produce. More details to follow.
• What If? – In the one-hour pilot episode of this drama, a near collision with a comet triggers the onset of Earth’s second ice age. The event unfolds in a variety of media, including "eyewitness" cell-phone video, digital video camera imagery and video from PDAs and other communication devices, all of which capture the cataclysmic event in documentary style.
• Soul Evidence (working title) – Self-styled psychic Allison Dubois (the real-life inspiration for NBC’s "Medium") leads a team of so-called psychics, scientists and investigators to solve cold-case murders.
• Danger Game – This series takes viewers behind the scenes at a secretive organization known as Modern Reality Adventures, which creates alternate-reality experiences for select clients. Each episode follows MRA as it constructs unnervingly convincing scenarios around an unwitting client, climaxing in a tightly choreographed finale.
• Relic Quest (working title) – The show is described as an action-adventure series that goes in search of some of the greatest relics in history around the globe. Producer/director Bruce Burgess guides the viewer in a first-hand exploration down mysterious roads to uncover artifacts fabled to hold hidden powers and mystical significance for both ancient and modern cultures.
• Escape – Three contestants locked in a room must endure a series of physical challenges, decipher riddles and break codes in order to escape. As the clock ticks, their prize money decreases and their anxiety builds, while three contestants locked in an identical room also race to find their own way out.

The network also announced a slate of 36 new original movies (up from 24 in 2008) that will air in its Saturday timeslot and a new Sunday-evening movie slot beginning next year. Some movie highlights are: "Malibu Shark", "Attack Hellhounds", "Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon", "Phantom Racer", "The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake" and "Lake Placid 3". And lastly, the network greenlit three new series: "Cash or Capture" (six one-hour episodes ordered), "Estate of Panic" (six) and "Outer Space Astronauts" (five half-hour).  The first two are reality competition series and the later a half-hour comedy.  Descriptions of all three shows can be read at this link.

TV BITES

• Comic-Con 08: During the panel for the upcoming DVD movie "Stargate Continuum", Brad Wright told the crowd that MGM wants a third DVD movie and that the third television series, "Stargate Universe", is moving forward, telling Gateworld "We’re very close".
• Comic-Con 08: "Futurama: Bender’s Game" will be released on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on November 4, 2008. Click here to check out some promo art. [/Film]
• Comic-Con 08: A 20th Anniversary Edition DVD Set of "Mystery Science Theater" will be released on October 28th.  It will include four never-before-released movies. [TV Squad]
• Comic-Con 08: BBC America has given a third season renewal to "Torchwood".  Five episodes will air starting in 2009.   [TV Squad]
• Comic-Con 08: The first season of the ABC Family series "The Middleman" has been shortened by one episode, from 13 to 12. [TV Squad]
• Adult Swim has announced a second "Star Wars"-themed installment of "Robot Chicken".  Debuting November 16th at 11:30pm, "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II" will "focus on the bounty hunters a bit and explore their stories. It’s a geek-fest for us all," says co-creator Matt Senreich. [ComingSoon.net]
• Lucy Liu and Mark Hamil will be voicing characters in the Spike TV original movie "Afro Samurai: Resurrection" which debuts in January 2009. [ComingSoon.net]
• MTV is readying a remake of the 1975 cult classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show".  Lou Adler, the executive producer of the original film, is partnering with BermanBraun and Fox Television Studios on the two-hour remake.  The film will use the original screenplay by Jim Sharman and Richard O’Brien but may also include music not featured in the original. “I’d like to see it shown a year from this coming Halloween, but that’s up to MTV,” Adler said. [Variety]
• Executive producer Darren Swimmer gave an interview with Newsarama about the new season of "Smallville".  Read it at this link.
• Episodes from the new series of "Doctor Who" are now available to download on Apple’s iTunes service. [BBC America]
• Amanda Tapping, who plays a 157-year-old English monster hunter named Dr. Helen Magnus on the upcoming supernatural series "Sanctuary" gave an interview with SCI FI Wire about the series.  Read it at this link.  You can also read an interview with the show’s creator Damian Kindler in which he talks about how the show bridges the gap between the real and fantastical, at this link.
• Cartoon Network has greenlit three original movies based on comics: "Firebreather", "Mice Templar" and "The Vanishers".  The first two will be developed into animated films while the third will be produced as a live-action movie. [The Futon Critic]
• Steven Moffat, who is taking over the job of executive producer on BBC’s "Doctor Who", says that he’s currently planning the fifth season of the show which will air in 2010 following a series of five specials in 2009. [SCI FI Wire].
• Ronald D. Moore, co-creator of Fox’s two-hour SF backdoor pilot film "Virtuality" told SCI FI Wire that the film will be shooting at the end of this month.  Moore also revealed that the movie will air as a movie of the week.

MISC

Watchmen and Batman Motion Comics Launched
Warner Premiere’s Motion Comics division has launched with debut episodes of "Watchmen" and "Batman: Mad Love". The later, which stars Batman, The Joker and Harley Quinn, can already be downloaded to own (started on July 22nd) on Xbox Live and Verizon Wireless’ V Cast Video service, while the "Watchmen" motion comic will be available beginning August 2nd on iTunes and is available to view right now for an exclusive timetable on EW.com/Watchmen.

Jackson Award Winners Announced
Winners of the first annual Shirley Jackson Awards, which recognize writers of psychological suspense, horror and dark fantasy, have been announced.  Here’s the complete list:

• Novel: "Generation Loss" by Elizabeth Hand
• Novella: "Vacancy" by Lucius Shepard
• Novelette: "The Janus Tree" by Glen Hirshberg
• Short Story: "The Monsters of Heaven" by Nathan Ballingrud
• Collection: "The Imago Sequence and Other Stories" by Laird Barron
• Anthology: "Inferno", Ellen Datlow, ed.

Prometheus Award Winners
"The Gladiator" by Harry Turtledove and "Ha’penny" by Jo Walton are the co-winners of this year’s Prometheus Award.  The award recognizes novels that explore the value of personal freedom, human rights and other libertarian ideals.  The awards will be presented at the 60th annual World Science Fiction Convention in Denver on August 6-10. The winner of the Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction was also announced, going to "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess.

MISC Bites

• Covering TV, publishing, games and online & mobile entertainment, the Walt Disney Co. has renewed its first-look pact with POW Entertainment, the production company run by comic-book legend Stan Lee.  As part of the pact, Disney has given a green light to the digital comic-book series "Time Jumper". [SuperHeroHype]

 SCI-FI RATINGS

6/30/2008 to
7/06/2008 – Source: Nielsen Media Research

6/23/2008 to
6/29/2008 – Source: Nielsen Media Research

6/30/2008 to
7/06/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

6/23/2008 to
6/29/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

6/30/2008 to
7/06/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire

6/23/2008 to
6/29/2008 – Source: Nielsen Galaxy Report via SCI FI Wire