To Tell The Truth was a popular American game show in the 1970′s. Contestants were presented with a moderately well-known but seldom-seen celebrity and two imposters. The goal was to identify the real McCoy (no pun intended) by asking a series of open-ended questions within a short amount of time. Above is Gene Roddenberry‘s appearance on the show.

If you’re reading this, we assume you spotted him right off the bat.

Legions of Trekkies would love to see Star Trek: The Next Generation in HD, including us. We’ve got good news and bad news for those fans. The bad is that Star Trek: TNG in HD is impossible. The good news is that it’s going to happen anyway.

Here’s the problem. The show was shot at a resolution that’s fine for HD. The actors, the physical sets and so on are good to go. The effects and post-production work, however, was done in standard definition. High def effects shots simply don’t exist. The only way to create a true HD episode of TNG would be to re-do every single special effect by hand.

And that’s exactly what’s being done.

LeVar Burton recently visited CBS to observe progress on the project, and reported that he was “#mindblown” via Twitter. The first release will be a four-episode sampler disc, which will include: Encounter at Farpoint” (1 & 2), “Sins of the Father” and “Inner Light.”  Release is expected “before the end of this year,” so now you know what to put on your holiday shopping list.

One of the most prolific science fiction writers of the last 50 years was the late, great Charles Beaumont. He’s written many of my all-time favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone, including “The Howling Man,” “Prime Mover,” “Miniature,” “Living Doll” and “Number 12 Looks Just Like You.”

Shadow and Substance has a great post on Beaumont’s legacy, that I suggest you read. It’s well written and researched, about one of my favorite writers.

It was only yesterday that we were celebrating the availability of streaming Star Trek: The Next Generation on Netflix. Earlier this week, the first season of Next Gen disappeared. Oh no!

There’s no need to worry, Netflix says. The disappearance was due to a glitch in Brazil of all places. ”The Starship Enterprise has veered off course temporarily because of a blip in the system with the start of streaming in Brazil,” a spokesman said. “We will welcome the Enterprise and her crew back shortly.”

That’s good news. Someone tell me when it’s back. In the meantime, I’ll be in my Ready Room.

Forty-five years ago today, Thursday, September 8, 1966, Star Trek first aired on NBC. Who would have ever imagined what the future held for the Enterprise and her crew? After only two seasons the threat of cancellation loomed large. Fans engaged in a letter-writing campaign, and the network renewed the show. Unfortunately, it was moved to the dreaded “Friday night death slot.” Creator Gene Roddenberry limited his involvement in the third season as a protest, but to no avail. Star Trek was cancelled in its third season.

Forty-five years later, a show that barely finished three seasons is among the most iconic in television history.  There have been six total TV series, 11 feature films (with number 12 in pre-production) and countless books, comics, games, etc. One could argue that Trek created the convention industry and is so entrenched in popular culture — internationally — that you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t even hear of the show, almost anywhere you are.

Suitably, my favorite episode is the original pilot (which didn’t air as the pilot), The Menagerie parts 1 and 2.

Let us say thank you to Gene and everyone involved in the original series. “Where no one has gone before” indeed.

Monday is Labor Day here in the United States, a holiday where workers kick back, grill some burgers and enjoy the last huzzah of the summer. This wonderfully candid shot comes from the private collection of Leonard Nimoy who posed it via Twitter a while back. Great to see these friends and co-workers enjoying themselves out of context.

If this little Duck Tape company had had the $$$ to run this TRON inspired commercial during the Super Bowl, it would have easily come away with the prize for best ad. All we can hear is “I want him in the games until he dies taping!” Nicely played guys.

Here’s a group of Teen Jeopardy finalists demonstrating that Voyager didn’t exactly resonate with the kids. Trekkies, and anyone over 35, will want to look away. Sigh.

It’s more of a toy than a game, with lots of options for both creation and curation of your Head Museum. Fans will definitely want to check it out, and join the list of notables whose heads have appeared on Futurama, like Lucy Liu, Richard Nixon (The President of Earth!) Pam Anderson and George Washington. All that’s missing is an explanation of how one actually eats and breathes in there.

In any case, here’s my look at Futurama Head In A Jar for iPhone.

User Interface

Good news, everyone! It looks great. The app adheres to the feel and general color palate of the show. When first launched, you’ll get a scene depicting a demo head and a subtitle that changes with each launch, just as it does on the show. From there you reach the main menu, which features four buttons: Videos, Head Museum, More and Get Started. Each button is clearly labeled and legible. Let’s jump right to Get Started and leave the others for now.

Building A Head

Tap the button and a “door” opens, revealing the construction area. Your head-in-progress is in the center, while the main options are listed on the left. Each option has several sub-options. For example, your decision is whether to choose a human (male or female), robot or alien head. Many of the options look familiar, from a certain bending unit we all know to the first mate on the Nimbus. To make your choice, use your finger to swipe from on to the other inside the jar.

From there, get building! Add eyes, a nose, hair and so on. Note that certain options aren’t available to certain heads. For instance, when making a replica of Francis X. Clampotso (0r “Clamps”), I wasn’t able to add a nose. Keep building, changing colors, adding hair and so on. Finally, give your creation a name and select a background for your jar. There are 12 to choose from, but I’m partial the “gazing Farnsworth” pictured above.

[nggallery id=3]

Sharing

Once you’re done, you’ll want to show off your creation. Fortunately, there are several options. Of course you can post to Facebook or Twitter. Email is also an option, as is adding the head to the Camera Roll. Finally, assign the image to a contact.

The Head Museum

Think of the Head Museum as a gallery for all of  your jarred heads. Each one is added to the shelf, and you can even create unique exhibits within the museum, swapping heads between them at will.

Other Goodies

There’s more to this app than making heads. From the main screen you can view a collection of clips from the current season (and buy full episodes from iTunes) and jump to the official Futurama Facebook page and web site. My favorite option lets you set alarms to let you know when new (or repeat) episodes will air, either 15 minutes before, 30 minutes or 1 hour. Never miss a hilarious moment again!

Those who don’t watch the show will be less than charmed with Futurama Head In A Jar, but the rest of us will love it. The app is a little but of Futurama in your pocket, and who doesn’t want that?

You’re a Futurama fan, right? Then do you know which character was devised to be the voice of the doubting fan, pointing out plot holes from week to week? Or the fourteen (at least) functions of Bender’s antenna? Plus, what does “Aloha, Mars!” have to do with the show, and what’s the real reason Leela wears a tank top? All of that and more is revealed in this great post by Kevin Fitzpatrick at UGO.

I won’t spoil the answers, so go and read for yourself. In the meantime, I’ll throw out a little Futurama trivia of my own. The first words Bender ever spoke on the show were, you guessed it, “Bite my shiny metal ass.”

This post does NOT contain any major spoilers. I talk about the characters and series in general, but I don’t reveal any secrets that makes the series so fun. Fear not, read on!

When it premiered on ABC in April of 1990, Twin Peaks captured audience’s imaginations and set off a wave of “Peaksmania” across the country. The show centered on the murder of a high school girl named Laura Palmer in the sleepy north-western town of Twin Peaks. Amidst this on-going murder investigation by Special Agent Dale Cooper, played brilliantly by Kyle MacLachlan, the minutiae and seedy underbelly of its many denizens is revealed. Both audiences and critics have hailed Twin Peaks for over two decades as one of the best television series of all time. Thanks to its recent release on Netflix streaming, I decided to take a trip to the strange destination that is Twin Peaks.

I admit that when the series first aired, I too got caught up in this strange, quirky TV show. Although written as a cross between a crime drama and soap opera, Twin Peaks refused to yield to stereotypical depictions of either. The writers often infused stories with elements of horror, the supernatural and black comedy that helped give the series its distinctly unique style. Twin Peaks’ creepy vibe was further augmented by the extensive use of location shooting, a haunting soundtrack from composer Angelo Badalamenti and the focus on Agent Cooper’s unorthodox investigative techniques.

When the series became available on DVD in 2001 I quickly purchased it, but due to rights ownership disputes between the publisher and creator, David Lynch, the DVD box set did not contain the critical pilot episode that was vital to understanding the basics of everything that followed. Add to that the DVDs were plagued by formatting errors that often rendered them unwatchable and you had an entire forest full of angry Twin Peaks fans, I among them. My copy of Twin Peaks on DVD sat on my shelf, unwatched for over ten years until I discovered it anew online a short time ago.

Now, thanks to the miracle of on-demand streaming from Netflix, I’m once again enjoying a visit to the quirky town of Twin Peaks. A place where no one is who they seem, the coffee is as black as midnight and the cherry pie will just kill ‘ya. The pilot episode is packed with all of the things that fans love about the series and sets up the mystery of Laura Palmer’s murder in delightful fashion.

Fans agree that the entire first season of Twin Peaks is a tour de force of TV storytelling, absolutely not to be missed. Near the end of season one, executives at ABC became concerned that Frost and Lynch were never going to reveal Laura’s killer and pressed the pair for a resolution. In reality, Frost had always intended the series should reveal the killer, but Lynch disagreed. He believed that Laura’s murder was basically a MacGuffin and that the real focus of Twin Peaks was the town, its inhabitants and their interactions. As ratings sagged at the start of season 2, Lynch finally capitulated and the mystery was solved.

The series never recovered however and ratings continued to sink until ABC cancelled Twin Peaks at the end of the second season. Despite it’s eventual decline, Twin Peaks is immanently worth watching for a number of reasons but mostly because it’s just good TV. The show was the blueprint for many of the most successful TV dramas that followed including Lost and The Sopranos. Its intricate, twisting plot, unusual treatment of characters and a compelling use of “place” to tell a story all add up to a viewing experience you won’t soon forget. I highly recommend Twin Peaks to anyone who loves a good mystery or compelling characters, at least up until the point in the series when Laura’s killer is finally revealed. You won’t regret it, my log said so.

PS – Don’t miss this awesome Japanese Twin Peaks coffee commercial Lynch directed at the hight of the series. Damn fine ad!

When Carl Sagan’s ground-breaking PBS series, Cosmos, aired in 1980, it inspired an entire generation of children to learn more about the world and universe around them. The 13-part series made science accessible to the masses and presented complex concepts in easy to understand ways that are still taught in classrooms today.

Now comes word from WIRED that Sagan’s widow, Ann Druyan and Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame (both of whom are concerned about the growing anti-science sentiment in American society) are teaming up to produce a sequel to the series to air in 2013. Hosted by noted astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the new show will strive to bring science to a new generation, exploring the universe on a grand scale.

The catch of course, is that because of MacFarlane’s involvement the new series will air on FOX in primetime. How will a science show devoted to discovering the wonders of the known universe fair against today’s dumbed-down TV fare? Unfortunately there’s no way to predict if audiences will tune in, we only wish Carl was around for the challenge. Here’s hoping the producers once again enlist the help of noted composer Vangelis to set the score for the series and that Tyson sneaks in at “billions and billions” at least once or twice.

William Shatner and Adam West almost starred together in a show based on the life of Alexander the Great. It didn’t get picked up of course, but here’s a look at these two giants of television history sharing a scene.

[Via Neatorama]

Pyramid/Triad – Battlestar Galactica

Pyramid is a close-quarters ball game played by two teams or two individuals on a pyramid-shaped court. Points are scored by getting the ball into the top of one of several triangular goals along the court’s edge. Full contact is allowed (unless a player is in one of three designated “neutral zones”), and any player holding the ball can only take “three paces” without shooting, passing or grabbing a rebound.

In the re-imagined series, Starbuck and Sam Anders often played pickup games of Pyramid aboard the Galactica (they’re playing on Caprica above*). Before the second Cylon War, Anders played Pyramid professionally with the Caprica Buckaneers. Other pro teams included the Picon Panthers (Adama’s favorite team) and the Tauron Bulls.

Ties to the original series

In the original Battlestar Galatica, Pyramid referred to a card game that was popular among Viper pilots, while Triad was a televised professional sport, similar to the Ron Moore-era Pyramid (though much less interesting, as you’ll see in the brief clip below).

It’s a cool game, combining basketball, rugby and hockey. Plus the C-Bucks logo is sweet.

Podracing – Star Wars

The only watchable scene in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is the podrace. Podracing is a super fast, extremely dangerous take on drag racing. Competitors from around the Star Wars galaxy design and build their own racers with enormous engines, small cockpits and little regard for safety. Huge crowds gather on Tatooine and elsewhere to bet on their favorite racers, who navigate an enormous course at incredible speeds.

The races offer a real sense of danger, unlike every other scene in The Phantom Menace. The animation team at Lucasarts did a fantastic job; the vehicles seem heavy and ready to fly apart on a moment’s notice. I especially like the Tusken Raiders who position themselves on the course’s edge and take pot shots at the racers, just for fun.

Alas, there’s nothing as fast or exciting here on Earth. We’ll just have to settle for Steve McQueen in Bullitt.

Quidditch – Harry Potter

Polo on flying brooms. How could you go wrong? Quiddich is a semi-contact sport enjoyed by Harry and his wizarding buddies at Hogwarts. It’s mentioned in all but one book, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire even featured The Quidditch World Cup (the stadium is pictured below).

The rules are extensive for a fictional game. Matches are played over an oval field, or “pitch,” measuring 500 feet long by 180 feet wide. Three hooped goals stand at each end at varying heights. A player in the seeker position is tasked with capturing flying ball, or Snitch. Doing so scores 150 points.

It goes on from there, but this post is already unwieldy. Several real-world “Muggle Quidditch” leagues play an Earth-bound version of the game, which is regulated by the International Quidditch Association. Yes, really.

The Galactic Football League – The Rookie

The Rookie by Scott Sigler features a football league 700 years in the future. It’s much like our own NFL, with the addition of hyper-aggressive aliens and cannibalistic linebackers. Organized crime runs the sport, games are fixed and assassinations are not unheard of.

And we thought Vince McMahon was crazy.

The Galactic Football League wasn’t cut from whole cloth, but it is an extreme variation on a very popular, real-world game.

Parrises Squares - Star Trek

Parrises squares is a violent game played in the Star Trek universe which requires flattering blue jumpsuits and disturbingly cylindrical duffel bags. It was referenced in several episodes of Next Generation and Voyager. There’s a ramp, an ion hammer and a lot of running around. Doctor Crusher often admonishes Riker for playing the game as if he were still a young man.

Parrises Squares is typically played by humans, though some Klingons (like Worf and M’Kota R’Cho) have also played.

Anbo-jyutsu – Star Trek

Anbo-jyutsu is a martial art created to let William Riker beat up his dad. Mr. Riker calls it the “ultimate evolution of martial arts,” though I couldn’t figure out much of what was going on. Both competitors lower their blast shields over their eyes and mis-pronounce Japanese-sounding words while whacking each other with sticks. As if that’s not humiliating enough, look at the outfit Will’s got on.

There’s a proximity sensor on one end of the stick which alerts each combatant to the location of his opponent. A high Midi-chlorian count helps, too. Reach out with your feelings, Will!

Honorable mention

In the Firefly episode Bushwhacked, the gang is playing a strange variant of basketball aboard the Serenity. I’ve got no idea what’s going on here, and I suspect the crew was making it up as they went along. Life gets boring on spaceships, so why not?

So there you have it, six examples of sports in science fiction. Now, what did game(s) did I miss?

*As an aside, just look at the muscles in Starbuck’s arms. Godsdamn! 

Star Trek: The Next Gen – Season 3, Ep 22
Data is abducted by a collector of rare and unusual items as the Enterprise crew struggles with his apparent death.

It is said that he who dies with the most toys wins. In the 24th century, where money doesn’t exist and all of one’s wants and desires are just a replicator away, what counts as toys? For space-faring trader Kivas Fajo (played by Warehouse 13‘s Saul Rubinek after some tragic, last minute re-casting) those toys include rare paintings by Vincent van Gogh and sentient Soong-type androids like Lt. Cmd. Data of the Starship Enterprise.

The Most Toys is an intelligent tale of deceit, double crosses and important character development. When Fajo fakes Data’s death, the Enterprise crew must come to terms with the fact that a friend whom they thought would outlive them, has suddenly died. I love the scene of Geordi and Wes going through Data’s personal effects as they struggle to give meaning to his death. We’re even reminded of Yar’s passing in the form of a hologram of Tasha that Data keeps for deeply personal reasons.

The coup de grâce comes in the final moments of the episode where Data is faced with a life or death decision. In order to escape he must choose to kill Fajo outright or allow the unscrupulous collector to continue his murderous, thieving ways. Just as Data apparently pulls the trigger, he is beamed back aboard the Enterprise and confronted by Riker who tells him the weapon was discharged. Data’s answer propels the character’s development ahead at warp speed and is a can’t miss moment for any TNG fan.

Look here for more Star Trek micro reviews.

Next week we’ll release episode 52, in which we’ll discuss Joss Wheadon’s ill-fated series Firefly. To get  you in the mood and prepped to listen, we’ll be tweeting bits of trivia and interesting Firefly facts all week. Join in the fun, Browncoats.

Potential buyers beware however. These playsets may look like official LEGO products, but they definitely are not. If you were planning on rocking them out with the latest Batman or Indiana Jones LEGO adventures, you’re in for disappointment. Prices can also be a bit steep so be sure to save up some coppers before placing your pre-orders which can be done today from BigBadToyStore.com

Time of the Angels Mini Set
Dalek Factory Set
Complete Doctor Who Toy Line

[via @Talosman]

How could we not include this stinker from SyFy? Actors Stephen Baldwin (playing David) and Vanessa Johansson (playing Laura) venture to Venice, Italy to search for David’s father, who disappeared unexpectedly. While floating through the canals on a boat, David sees a large dorsal fin. Of course, he and an Italian man named Rossi (which must be Italian for “Red shirt”) enter the canals in wet suits. The shark re-appears, bites David and devours his doomed Italian companion.

From there, the plot borrows heavily from several Indiana Jones movies. David escape to a cave, evades traps and finds treasure. He then makes his way to a hospital but is then sent back to the cave for more looting.

Of course, you watch a movie like Sharks in Venice to see sharks.

The colossal behemoth who terrorizes “Venice”* is all teeth and bad attitude. He’s also a bit of an enigma. For example, if there’s one gigantic shark in Venice, one must assume there’s a breeding population of monster sharks nearby. You’d think the local fisherman would have noticed such a thing. Also, you get the feeling that he’s not really there during he attacks. For example, check out the combination of stock shark attack footage, onlooker reaction shots and plastic dorsal fins that comprise this scene:

Fantastic, no? Nearly everyone who has seen Sharks in Venice pans it, but we’ve noted something amazing: It makes a guy in a Brooks Brothers suit and a shark mask seems scary.

*I’m using quotes because the movie was shot in Bulgaria. In fact, director  Danny Lerner wanted to call it “Shark in Bulgaria.”

It’s not easy to do a live-action shark character. Animated, sure. Look at Finding Nemo’s Bruce, for example. Huge, threatening and all teeth. Put Bruce in a Brooks Brothers suit and have him walk upright, however, and you’ve got trouble.

Bro’os, whose nickname is “Teeth” (what else), suffers from this misfortune. He first appeared in the eighth episode of Buffy’s sixth season, Tabula Rasa, and holds the distinction of being one of the very few characters to be considered an enemy by both the Scooby Gang and the Angel Investigations Team.

Plus, he looks goofy. Heck, even that shark in 12 oz. Mouse was more imposing.

Still, Bro’os knew how to throw hands (or fins). When we first met him in Sunnydale, he had a good business going, supplying area demons with kittens. Spike eventually failed to pay up on a nice shipment of Siamese kittens, which Bro’os was none to happy about. The inevitable battle took place, and Spike and Buffy staked all of Bro’os henchmen.

Teeth disappeared after that until he returned as the Lord of Santa Monica.* Of course, another battle occurred, resulting in the death of all the bad guys except ‘ol Bro’os. He then agreed to step down as Lord Demon, while some other baddies (whom he had previously betrayed) finally caught up to him and exacted their revenge. Thus was the end of Teeth.

Bro’os was played by Raymond O’Connor, who also appeared on Babylon Five and Halloween 4, among others.

Despite having a rather silly costume (and gills…why would a land animal need gills?!) Bro’os is the first baddie of Sci-Fi Shark Week. Come back tomorrow for the next entrant.

*In 2007′s Angel: After the Fall #3, Brian Lynch reintroduced Bro’os as the “Lord of Santa Monica.” (listen here!).

Star Trek: The Next Generation featured compelling characters, delightful storytelling and whacky –  and we mean WHACKY – costumes. Fortunately, we needn’t try to remember them all because Fashion It So has taken on the task.

This wonderful blog is a screenshot-tastic history of Next Generation costumes, sorted by episode. Re-live Picard’s famous jumpsuit and whatever this is. Enjoy!

Katee Sackhoff talked with WIRED during Comic-Con 2011. It’s a nice interview; she discussed her role in the upcoming Spider Man: Edge Of Time game as well as the character she’ll portray in the animated Batman: Year One. Finally, the Cartoon Network has released a sneak peek of her character in season 4 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Plus, sexy purring.

While sitting on a Spider Man panel (above), Katee revealed her attempts to record some purring for Black Cat 2099, the character she plays in Edge of Time:

“When you’re playing the videogame and you pause a character, they stand in the background and make a noise so that you know that they’re still in play. And I was like, ‘Can I purr?’ And they said, ‘No, Katee, you cannot purr.’ And I was like ‘Why? She’s a cat.’ And it just sounded massively sexual, so … yeah they wouldn’t let me purr.”

Katee later reveals that she did purr a little bit in the game, but much less than she wanted. Bummer.

Here’s what else is cool. Katee will voice a recurring character on season 4 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Not just any character, mind you. She’ll play the first female  Mandalorian. What’s a Mandalorian? The term refers more to the armor than the person who wears it. Considered a “metal skin” buy its owner, a set of Mandalorian armor was a precious thing, often handed down through the generations. The saga’s most famous set was worn by Jango and the Boba Fett.

Season 4 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will air this fall. Expect Katee’s character to appear mid-season. For now, enjoy this sneak preview. Katee’s character appears towards the end; her voice is unmistakable.

Can she hear the rain through that helmet?

Fear Itself was a horror/suspense anthology series that aired on NBC in 2008. The show adhered to a format popularized by The Twilight Zone and others: short, stand-alone stories featuring non-recurring characters meant to challenge, frighten and ultimately entertain the viewer.

Only 13 episodes aired between June 5, 2008 and July 2, 2009. Fear Itself was pre-empted for the 2008 summer olympics but did not return. NBC confirmed its cancellation in March of 2009. Some big names in horror took turns directing, including Stuart Gordon, Brad Anderson, John Landis and Rob Schmidt. In fact, there are some real gems among the show’s 13 episodes, including a few you absolutely should not miss. Here’s what you’ll like about Fear Itself.

A quick note before I continue. While this post does not contain spoilers, some of the linked pages do. Proceed with caution.

The Short Story

I love short stories for the same reason I love photographs: they tell a part of the story. A photograph extracts an instant from a larger narrative. A young girl takes her first timid steps into the Gulf of Mexico. She’s wearing a dress, not a swimsuit, so the we assume the excursion was unplanned. The lighting suggests the sun is setting. Her face is hidden, so we can’t surmise her reaction (is the water warm or cold?). The rest of the tale — what happened before she strolled into the water, or after — is left to the viewer’s imagination.

That’s the beauty of short fiction. Each tale is a snippet of the full story. What happened before the tale began and what might happen after is left for the reader to play with.

The best stories presented by the Fear Itself writers do this wonderfully, starting with action right away and driving ever forward. Stand out episodes include The Sacrifice, Family Man and Eater.

In The Sacrifice, three fugitives (one of them wounded) stumble upon a remote town whose only inhabitants seem to be three beautiful young women. It soon becomes clear that what they thought was a woodland oasis is anything but. The episode was directed by Breck Eisner, who recently directed The Crazies and is reportedly working on a remake of Flash Gordon.

Jesse Plemons and the exceedingly lovely Mircea Monroe turn in believable if not a bit cliched performances, while Rachel Miner is heartbreaking in the episode’s climactic scene.

Family Man adds a horror twist to the Freaky Friday body-swap premise. Director Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason, Bride of Chucky) held the reigns on this one and a young Colin Ferguson played the lead. I won’t spoil the story but I’ll will warn you not to expect  a happy ending.

Eater is a supremely creepy episode starring Elisabeth Moss, whom fans of The West Wing will recognize as Zoey Bartlet (or “Bookbag,” as the Secret Service called her). She plays a rookie cop tasked with watching over a violent, cannibalistic prisoner during the night shift. Director Stuart Gordon keeps you guessing as to what’s really happening and what isn’t, right up until the end.

Those are great, but my favorite episode is Skin and Bones.

Skin and Bones

If you only watch a single episode of Fear Itself, let it be Skin and Bones. Directed by Larry Fessenden, this episode has a compelling story, is beautifully shot, features fantastic makeup and is downright scary.

The story begins on a lonely ranch. We learn that the ranch owner, Grady, has been missing for several days, having never returned from a hunting expedition with friends. A violent storm has hindered the search efforts. Just as Grady’s son is about to defy his uncle and mother to search for his father, the man himself stumbles into view, emaciated and near death. He collapses into their arms and is carried to his bed.

From there, things get bad fast. The plot is based on the Native American legend of the Wendigo, a violent, cannibalistic spirit that can possess human beings. As Grady’s true nature is revealed, the episode becomes violent, frightening and unapologetically disturbing. What’s even more compelling is the very real condition of Wendigo psychosis, which overwhelms sufferers with a desire to consume human flesh.

Skin and Bones features a couple cheap scares in the form of “the bad guy pops up rapidly and says ‘boo,’” but fortunately a pervasive eeriness makes up for it. Doug Jones turns in a fantastic performance as the disturbed Gardy, even showing glimmers of emotion once you think he’s abandoned his humanity entirely. Plus, I must offer kudos to the makeup team, whose skills were on display in this episode.

Fear Itself is available now on Netflix streaming, and I highly recommend it. Horror fans will love it, as will those who like well-told stories of suspense. Turn down the lights, curl up with the iPad and enjoy the show’s (lucky) 13 episodes.

• • •

Number Six
Battlestar Galactica

From the moment Ron Moore’s re-imagined Battlestar Galactica premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2004, the irresistible cylon Number Six was a fan favorite. Played to the nines by Tricia Helfer, a Canadian born actress and model, Six began the series as the catalyst for the destruction of the Twelve Colonies, seductively coaxing secrets out of chief scientist Gaius Baltar. Throughout season one, Six reveled in her role as Gaius’ evil muse and used her sexuality to affect events in the Colonial fleet.

As Helfer’s character evolved, we were introduced to new, more compassionate models of Number Six including Gina and Natalie. By the end of the series Six was firmly settled into the protagonist camp, helping the colonials fight against Brother Cavil’s crusade to wipe out Galactica once and for all. None-the-less, when we think of the character of Six, the images that come to mind often include her signature red dress that often turned Gaius Baltar (and us) to silly putty. So say we all!

• • •

Khan Noonien Singh
Star Trek: The Original Series

Bred to be the ultimate genetic superman, Khan Noonien Singh proved to be the perfect foil to the heroic Captain Kirk. Penned by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber in the original Star Trek episode, Space Seed, Khan, played by the charismatic latino actor Ricardo Montalbán stands out as one of the series’ most magnetic villains. On stardate 2267.9 the Enterprise rescues the lost ship Botany Bay and awakens over 70 people from suspended animation only to find they are actually a group of genetically engineered criminals banished from earth in the early 1990′s. Possessing the intelligence of da Vinci and the physique of Adonis, Khan and his followers quickly overcome the Enterprise crew with the help of historian Lt. Marla McGivers. Although Khan is eventually defeated, Montalbán’s enigmatic and sultry performance provided the series with perhaps its most alluring villain of all time.

• • •

Callisto
Xena: Warrior Princess

Every great hero needs a nemesis and in the fictional universe of Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena’s arch enemy came in the form of the deranged Callisto. As is often the case with such characters, Callisto’s life of revenge began as a child when Xena and her army slaughtered Callisto’s entire village, including her beloved parents. She spent her formative years training and becoming consumed by the rage that propelled her in her pursuit to see Xena suffer and die.

Played deliciously by the beautiful Hudson Leick, Callisto appeared in numerous episodes of Xena and reveled in making Xena’s life a living hell. What fan’s often admire most about Leick’s performance was her way of portraying Callisto’s psychopathy, switching back and forth between derangement and sympathy. Surely a deadly and seductive combination.

• • •

Ursa
Superman II

The sadistic compatriot to General Zod, Ursa first appeared in Superman II, the sequel to the box office hit Superman: The Movie in 1978. At the beginning of the first film, Ursa, Zod, and Non are imprisoned by Superman’s father, Jor-el, in the Phantom Zone, seemingly for all eternity. During their sentencing we learn of Ursa’s deep-seated hatred for all mankind and males in particular. The reason for this is never explained but once freed in Superman II, she immediately demonstrates her sociopathic ways.

Ursa spends the film taunting and killing men left and right. From each she collects decorations of military authority such as an astronaut’s patch, a sheriff’s badge and others as symbols of those she has conquered. One deleted scene from Superman II goes so far as to show her taking fiendish pleasure as Non kills a small boy with the siren he has ripped off the roof of a police car. Ursa’s cruel and sexy portrayal by Sarah Douglas stands out as one of the most memorable in the film, as she cooly eyes men with contempt wherever she goes.

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Darth Vader
Star Wars

Every woman loves a man in uniform, and The Dark Lord of the Sith is the ultimate in that regard. At nearly seven feet tall, the second most powerful man in the Lucas’s Empire exudes confidence. What’s sexier than that?

You say you’ve got a thing for bad boys? This guy lopped his own son’s hand off and forced his daughter to observe the near murder of her boyfriend. But don’t let the Kabuki mask and short fuse fool you. Underneath all that machinery is a troubled Anakin Skywalker, saved from damnation at the last possible moment by an overwhelming compassion for his son.

Tough and sensitive? Commence swooning, ladies.

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Catwoman
Batman

Call me creepy, but I still have a “thing” for women who don cat ears on Halloween. The genesis of my fascination boils down to two words: Julie Newmar.

Batman’s sleek and sultry foil never hesitated to use her feminine wiles to manipulate the caped crusader. Wrapped in a skin-tight outfit (and we mean wrapped in), Catwoman rode the line between villain and heroine. At times she seemed to have Batman’s heart. She also appeared in the Batcave and the Batmobie; two locations no other villain would be invited to see.

Of course, her treacherous intentions were ultimately revealed, but as fans we wondered if Batman could rescue her from a life of crime or worse: if Catwoman would seduce Batman into walking her own dark, padded path. We wouldn’t have blamed him if he did.

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Mystique
X-Men

If you’re looking for a sexier and more sinister femme fatale, you have no further to look than Mystique. Originally appearing in Marvel Comics, the character is best known to movie audiences as the seductive and deadly assassin bent on destroying Charles Xavier and his band of boy scout X-Men.

Portrayed in the films by supermodel turned actress Rebecca Romijn, There’s no denying Mystique’s sex appeal. Mystique’s iconic blue skin and her shape-shifting abilities have made her a fan favorite, ranking as IGN’s 18th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time. Seeing Mystique’s fiery eyes and costume-less appearance it’s easy to understand why fans find her one of the most titillating bad guys ever.

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Captain Hammer
Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog

We know what you’re thinking: Captain Hammer is the hero not the villain of Doctor Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. No, the protagonist (main character) of Joss Weadon’s 2008 online musical mini-series is Doctor Horrible himself making Captain Hammer the super-sexy antagonist. Consumed by his own ego and good looks, Captain Hammer spends his days saving Los Angeles from the clutches of Neil Patrick Harris’ Doctor Horrible, while trying to bed his latest conquest girlfriend, Penny.

Nathan Fillion’s hilarious portrayal of the smug and sexy Captain Hammer helped earn Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog a cult-like following. The character naturally exudes a wonderful aroma, has muscles on top of muscles and impresses all the ladies with his “hammer” in bed (we’re not talking about his fists). All in all Captain Hammer is the villain we love to hate but who still somehow manages to get the girl. A typical (albeit sexy) jerk.

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Diana
V

Jane Badler’s Diana was second in command among the Visitors who invaded our living rooms in 1989. Diana excelled at the process that converted humans in to allies, but we fell for her without the benefit of her conversion process.

Diana’s poofy hair  was an homage to late-80′s style and she rocked the Yoko Ono sunglasses like no other Visitor.

Plus, she can unhinge her jaw.

Diana is not the kind of alien, lizard villain you bring home for holiday dinner, but she was irresistible in her own way.

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Lestat de Lioncourt
Interview with the Vampire

Before there was Team Jacob or Team Edward there was Team Lestat. Created by author Anne Rice, Lestat was made famous by Tom Cruise’s portrayal of the character in Neil Jordan’s 1994 film adaptation of Interview with the Vampire. Born in France in 1760, Lestat grows up a spoiled brat who squanders his family’s money and is eventually abducted by an ancient vampire named Magnus. Once he turns Lestat, Magnus commits suicide leaving the fledgling creature of the night to fend for himself.

Ever since their earliest appearances in novels such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, vampires have always been portrayed as both deadly and erotic. The sexual nature of vampires no doubt contributed to the success of Rice’s Vampire Chronicles as well as Stephenie Meyer’s recent Twilight series. The Hammer films of the 60′s and 70′s even pushed the on-screen vampire sex quotient to their theoretical limits for their day. But ask the ladies who comes to mind when they think of a sexy vamp and we’re willing to bet Tom Cruise’s aristocratic and seductive portrayal of Lestat de Lioncourt is near the top.

We were saddened and surprised to learn that actress, Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Anne Francis passed away on January 2nd, 2011 following complications of pancreatic cancer. She was 80 years old.

Anne was best known for her portrayal of Altaira “Alta” Morbius in the science fiction classic Forbidden Planet, and also appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone: Jess-Belle, in which she played the title character, and The After Hours, in which she played Marsha White, a mannequin whose month in the world interfered with her memories of her true self.

She’ll always be one of the queens of sci-fi and we’ll always appreciate her contributions to our beloved genre (not to mention her beauty). Thank you, Anne! You will be missed.

You can watch the original Forbidden Planet trailer after the break.

Good news for fans of the British comedy sci-fi series, Red Dwarf. Actor Craig Charles who played Lister in the cult BBC series confirmed to Australian TV News this week that a new six-part series of Red Dwarf is in the works and will begin filming this fall. Created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, the show originally ran on BBC Two from 1989 to 1999 and featured the exploits of characters such as Dave Lister, the last known human alive, and Arnold Rimmer, a hologram of Lister’s dead bunkmate. The show briefly returned from deep freeze in 2009 for the three-part Red Dwarf: Back to Earth series, but reviews were mixed.

Charles insists that the new series won’t be worth revisiting unless the scripts are as good as they were in the show’s heyday. When asked if there was still a place for Red Dwarf on TV, the actor replied: “Well, yes – only if it’s still as funny as it used to be. “We’ve got to recapture the highlights, like series five, series six, that kind of stuff. If we can hit that mark then brilliant. There’s no point doing it if it’s a bit so-so.” We agree.

Liam Neeson will reprise his role as the mind-numbing, pointless, ineffective Qui-Gon Jinn in a forthcoming episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Why? Because Neeson feels that “these characters resonate…even after all these years.” They way a wet gym sock resonates. Or an empty Jedi robe.

Plus, that check from Lucasfilm was HUGE.

Insomniacs will want to watch the exclusive clip at EW, in which Qui-Gon appears to Obi-Wan and explains…oh, who cares.

Did you watch? What did you think? Pretty edgy, nice effects, funny, interesting plots…anything else? At the very least, the vampires don’t sparkle!

For those of you who missed it, here’s a decent and relatively spoiler-free review from Celebrity Blend, and you can watch the episode online here.

The rest of you, sound off in the comments.

We’ll be watching the premiere of SyFy’s Being Human tonight at 9 PM Eastern (here’s the official blog, written from the perspective of the characters). Based on the popular BBC series, Being Human is getting positive initial reviews.

We’ll have a review up this evening and we’ll live-tweet our reactions at @scificast. Plus, we’ll discuss the show in our next episode. See you then!

Long before Tricia Helfer showed us just how sexy a skinjob can be, Jenna Von Oy played a character called Six on Blossom, the *hilarious* 90′s sitcom that launched the career Joey Lawrence.

As far as we know, Jenna was the only copy.