Monthly Archives: February 2016
NASA, Congress Discuss Mars Mission, Space Station Hotels
In a meeting centered on the future of space exploration and research, NASA met with the congressional House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology today in Washington.
Among the many items discussed, both congressmen and representatives of NASA brought up the future of space travel, particularly in the context of a manned mission to Mars.
Former NASA administrator Mike Griffin suggested (via Gizmodo) a gradual build toward space exploration and travel, suggesting the Moon as an ideal testing ground and telling the committee “If God wanted us to go to Mars, he’d have given us a Moon to practice on first.”
The Wire’s Michael K. Williams Reveals Ghostbusters Role
Michael K. Williams, who played stick-up man Omar in the HBO series The Wire, will play an FBI agent in the upcoming Ghostbusters reboot.
Williams told Entertainment Weekly Radio his character works with the mayor's office to "tell the people it was a flash in the sky and ‘Run along little women with your ghosts, we got this.'"
He also called working on the movie "a dream role," citing the comedic chops of the film's stars.
Williams, who worked with Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon on IFC's Spoils Before Dying, said of the film's main cast, including Leslie Jones and Melissa McCarthy, are "at the top of their game, man."
Banshee: Trailer, Poster Herald Beginning of the End
Banshee is returning for its fourth and final season on April 1 and Cinemax has released a poster and trailer that will hype you up for the show's swan song.
In addition to the sex and fisticuffs the series is known for, the thirty-second trailer also features lots and lots of fire including a shot of Carrie (Ivana Milicevic) torching a truck WITH A DAMN FLAMETHROWER!
In addition to a haggard looking Sheriff Hood dodging explosions and a resolute Kai Proctor facing a firing squad, it also offers a glimpse of Eliza Dushku's Veronica Dawson, an FBI profiler brought in to help the Banshee PD take down a serial killer.
Netflix Announces New Original Anime Series
Netflix and Production I.G. have announced a new original anime series, Perfect Bones.
The new 12-episode series will be directed by Kazuto Nakazawa, and it will be set in the future where scientists are attempting to create perfect humans. However, an evil organization kidnaps a number of these specimens and aims to use them to create a new world order.
"We are incredibly excited to work with Production I.G, who have worked on hit series such as Attack on Titan and Psycho-Pass," said Eric Barmack, Netflix's vice president of international originals.
Previous Netflix Original anime include Knights of Sidonia, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Glitter Force. Unlike Perfect Bones, those anime were released long after their original air date in Japan. Perfect Bones is Netflix's first new anime to exclusively stream.
Batman v Superman ‘Ultimate Ticket’ Announced
Regal Entertainment Group is running a special promotion for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the form of an "Ultimate Ticket," which allows fans to see Zack Snyder's superhero film many, many times in theaters.
According to ComicBook.com, this $100 ticket grants access to the movie—in any format, including IMAX and 3D—once each day for the movie's entire run in Regal Cinemas.
The Batman v Superman "Ultimate Ticket" will go on sale this coming Monday, February 29. However only 1,000 of tickets will be available, so you'll have to act fast next week if you hope to secure one before they're completely sold out. The tickets will be available for purchase at the Regal Entertainment Group online box office.
Apple Reportedly Seeks New Security Against FBI Access
Apple is doubling down on iOS encryption in response to government hacking.
Spinning out of the Apple and FBI conflict over backdoor entry into iOS devices, Apple is looking for new and better ways to block access to its customers' information, according to the New York Times.
The FBI is currently fighting for a backdoor into Apple products that wouldn't require the user's password. Even if they succeed, should Apple change their encryption method the federal government would likely need to engage in yet another legal battle to earn a way around the new model. Should that happen, Apple could simply start the whole process over again.
The Game-Changing Note that Changed Colony (and Game of Thrones) Forever
Can you imagine Game of Thrones without the dragons? What about Colony with aliens? George R.R. Martin and Colony co-creator Ryan Condal sat down with IGN to share the most game-changing notes they ever received when making their respective series -- and it turns out both could have been vastly different than their finished projects. (Watch the video above for their thoughts.)
This is just one awesome moment from our full 27-minute sit down with Martin and Condal, where we talk the sci-fi/fantasy properties that made them fans, dream casting, how to end a story and the big twist that Martin has written into his forthcoming novel The Winds of Winter. Watch it in its entirety below!
Penny Dreadful: Season 3 Trailer and Poster Revealed
Ahead of Penny Dreadful's return this May, Showtime released a new trailer and poster for Season 3.
For an early look at what lies ahead for Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett) and Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), check out the teaser below.
And here's a look at Season 3's unsettling new poster.
In addition to Hartnett and Green, Showtime's popular horror series stars Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm Murray, an explorer who teams up with gunslinger Ethan Chandler and medium Vanessa Ives to take on the supernatural dangers that lurk in Victorian London.
Unlocked: Halo 5 Drops the Mic and Major Nelson Stops By
DOWNLOAD UNLOCKED 234 (Audio version)
On this week's Xbox show, it's all good news. First, it took four years, but Xbox's own Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb sits in with us for the entire show. Together, we talk about this week's awesome Halo 5 news, including the return of a beloved multiplayer mode and an even more beloved old weapon. Plus: Fallout and Elder Scrolls boss Todd Howard speaks about game PR cycles and their next projects. We analyze his comments, and much more! Oh, and of course we also send Larry back to Microsoft with a clear message: #BringBackXBLA
Madeleine Stowe to Appear in 12 Monkeys Season 2
Madeleine Stowe, who played Dr. Kathryn Railly in the 1995 movie version of 12 Monkeys, is set to appear in season 2 of the Syfy series of the same name.
Stowe will guest star in the season finale "switching roles from what she did in the film," executive producer Terry Matalas told Entertainment Weekly.
"She appears in a mental asylum in the late ’50s," Matalas said.
However, before she appears on screen in the finale, her voice will be part of the season premiere. "She’s the one telling the story about how the world ends," in the episode's opening montage, Matalas said.