The 50 Million Dollar Woman

I wouldn't call the new "Bionic Woman" series a remake. While the show shares it's title with the 1976 series about a female cyborg named Jamie Sommers, that is where the similarities end. One one hand I am disappointed that it is completely different. There's no kool sound effects, no OSI, no Dr. Rudy Wells, and no Oscar Goldman. There still could be a male counterpart, and I'm betting there will be. But 6 million dollars won't cover his medical bills.

On the other hand, I like the adventure cause you know there's gonna be some bionic ass kickin'. I'd never heard of or seen Michelle Ryan before Bionic Woman, but I think she was an excellent choice for the main part. It's unclear at this point whether Sarah Corvus, played by Katie Sackhoff, will be here ally or her nemesis.

Given the state of affairs in the world today, the story lines look to be dark, pulled from the headlines but with a twist. The classic Bionic Woman (and Six Million Dollar Man) was from a different age, for those of us old enough to relate to it. Terrorism was mostly unheard of. Communism was the subject of debate, and the US-Soviet Union cold war filled the story lines (and the headlines). The world mindset was NOT IF there is a nuclear war, but WHEN. And until 1989, most of the world felt that was a sure thing. (Ok, enough of that)

I sincerely hope they don't twist things up too much. Many a series, especially science fiction, start with simple characters and a simple story, but end up with something difficult to explain. Far too many movie and series remakes meet an early death for violating this axiom. I think this series has potential, if they keep it simple.

Also if you miss The Bionic Woman episode at it's regular time on Wednesday Night, you can also see it on the SCI-FI channel on Friday nights at 7:00 PM EST. I also spotted it on the USA Network on Saturday afternoon, and on Bravo on Sunday afternoon.

Here's a link to a kool homemade video of the Bionic Woman series. Enjoy!


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John Crawford

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The 4400 and The Dead Zone Season Finales

It's been too long since my last post. Several series have ended their season, while others have begun new. The 4400 and the Dead Zone both had very good season finales. Neither was a cliffhanger, both seemed to tie-up allot of loose ends, The 4400 especially. Almost like they were preparing to not be renewed next season. Shawn's brother and mother both die, along with Isabelle. What they left open was who is really in charge, not just Seattle, but the world.

Call me a traditionalist, but I like to know who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys. I believe that some shows twist that up too much, and viewers lose interest. The 4400 was all over the map on that one, but I believe they cleared it up in the season finale. The 4400's are emerging as the good guys, and the U.S. Government as the bad guys. But there's plenty more that we don't know about the temporal warfare being waged.

The Dead Zone Season 6 finale also provided a bit of closure. We got a much deeper insight into Johnny's doomsday visions, and we discovered his father, played by an aging Tom Skerritt, was alive all this time. Unfortunately he dies. But the proof of Greg Stillson's corruption is finally out in the open. And JJ discovers he has a "dead zone". Is there a spin-off in the making?



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John Crawford

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The 4400; Season 4 So Far

I think The 4400 is right up there with Battlestar Galactica as the best shows on TV. I don't have as much free time as I used to so posting reviews has been sparse. Nonetheless, allot is going on this season of The 4400. As usual, things are twisted up. Tom is sleeping with the boss, and now he's one of the bad guys from the future. I still say he'll take the shot, Diana too. Isabelle will get her powers back as well now that her "life" has been reversed, and reversed again. I also think that Diana and Marco will get back together. Ben has departed and no sign of returning. April is working for the Justice Department (or something like that); maybe her and Ben will get back together. Although Maia says her Mom and Ben will get married.

Shawn and Jordon are on opposites sides, but seem to be fighting for the same thing. Alana will be back when her (Karina Lombard's)other TV and movie commitments allow. And for all we know this whole season could be one of Alana'a alternate realities.

Kevin and Tess thus far have not played significant roles. However, Kevin is working on a test to determine 100% who will die if they take Promicin. Shawn's brother, Danny, is contemplating taking the shot.

Kyle, and his newly discovered ability Cassie, have taken up residency with Jordon and company in Promise City. Tom Knows where Kyle is, and even helped him escape from other places. How is that going to play out now that Tom is a bad guy from the future? I think this where the writers have gone too far. You can twist things too much. The writers and producers need to keep in mind that viewers expect a certain status quo at the end of the episode, such as key players are there and their roles do not change that way.

Things I'd like to see happen on the show.

1. Johnny, from the Dead Zone, makes a guest visit as his character.
2. A Dead Zone episode featuring a 4400 character and their ability.
3. Reveal more names on the list of people that have to take the shot.
4. Jordon joins NTAC to fight the bad guys from the future.
5. A 4400 elected to the White House.

Unfortunately the season will be over in a few weeks. I wish the USA Network would spread these out. We go 9 months out the your with no 4400 episodes, and they only show reruns at 2AM. I know allot of people that watched the show the first season, but lost track of it since. The network does a lousy job of keeping viewers interest when new episodes are not being made. The same for the Dead Zone, Monk, and Psych.


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John Crawford

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Video - The Wall, Part 9: One of Baltar's Many Turns

Gaius Baltar is a man who has come along way in life. From humbling beginnings as the son of a farmer to being a genius who worked at the Ministry of Defense, he has enjoyed some of life's successes- like women.

One such woman turned out to be a Cylon infiltrator, named Number Six. But, while at first this disturbed him, he has finally accepted the fact that his only love comes from a machine.

He is generally attracted to the Number Six model- which includes Caprica Six and Gina. However, even they have left him feeling frustrated at times.

This video is more of a reflection of Baltar's dealings with the Number Six model. The song used is "One of My Turns" by Pink Floyd.

http://www.shareaflick.net/36258-The-Wall,-Part-9:-One-of-Baltar's-Many-Turns.html


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John Crawford

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4400 Centre & Kyle XY, Same Building?

An interesting clip from Kyle XY that is definately the same building used as the 4400 Centre. Both are filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.


http://www.shareaflick.net/35751-4400-Centre-Kyle-XY.html

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John Crawford

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The 4400: Fear Itself

They did something that no other show on TV has ever done, they portrayed healing autism. It was a bold and a very controversial move. OK, you're thinking "how could I watch the whole episode and find that as the key arc?" That's easy, I have a 21 year old autistic son, so this hits home for me. The thought of an autistic person, child or not, wondering around in the cold and rain, alone and unsupervised, is frightening. Young actor, Jake Cherry, did a superb job of imitating an autistic person. The rocking and humming sounds, and the non-responsiveness to stimuli were right on. People who are unfamiliar with autism do not realize that most autistic people cannot read, write, talk. At the end when Shawn heals Brandon, and Brandon utters his first words (since being an infant), well it's a moment for a parent that cannot be described with words. It would be really great if they had Brandon is a future episode as a normal child, but able to share his imprisonment with autism. Now that would be controversial.

Newcomer head of NTAC, Meghan Doyle (Jenni Baird), is certainly making her mark. Unlike her predecessors, we get to see inside her personal life. When Tom tells her that having a 4400 on their side comes in handy, she probably doesn't realize the relevance even after she gets the call about her father. But I'm gonna predict that she asks Shawn to help her father.

Kyle got the coolest ability, the wonder of ever man's dreams. Cassie, the girl of his dreams is there whenever he wants, in his mind. Of course, that could make it difficult to have real relationships. Many a psychiatrist pay their country club memberships with the likes of those circumstances. But we know Kyle is normal... for someone with Promicin in their blood. I think we'll see allot of good and bad things from Cassie. She is the embodiment of Kyle's conscience mind so there's a whole lot they can develop on that.

I think Danny will take the shot. He wants to, and now that Kyle's ability has surfaced, he won't be able to resist.

Diana's back, no surprise there. Maia said it would happen and she's never wrong.

We've yet to see Richard this season. It's likely because actor Mahershalalhashbaz Ali is involved in the film "Crossing Over" that's filming in Los Angeles.




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John Crawford

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Continuity? The 4400 Season 4 Premier

They really did a bad job of transitioning from last season. With no marathons or special to bring us up-to-date, It was difficult to follow the storyline. For instance, why is Shawn in the hospital, in a coma? Where was Kyle? What happened to Nina Jarvis? What happened to all the 4400's when the 4400 Center was closed? I guess we will find out in future episodes.

That Graham kid, though, had an ability many would want. He could make a person do anything he wanted them to do. Talk about being in control? But Jordan took it away, so now we know what his 4400 ability is. But here's what I don't understand. If the authorities have a warrant for Jordan Collier's arrest, how could he show up at that high school, in public view, with police present and then walk away?

Diana and Maia will be back in Seattle soon. This love triangle with Ben and April is far from over. Remember she stole him from her sister? Since April's been given the promicin, there some plot twist coming with her. Then there's Marco. Maybe we'll see an old fashioned fight between Marco and Ben?

We saw Alana (Karina Lombard) abducted again at the end of last season. Chances are we won't see much of her as she is starring in "The L Word" and just finished a miniseries called "Suspectes".

Nina (Samantha Farris / Sarah Ryan) has been very busy since last season. According to IMDB.com she been in 6 episodes of "Supernatural" and 2 episodes of "Battlestar Galactica". She has also appeared in other TV series I've never of: "Tell Me No Lies" and "Last Chance Cafe". She also appeared in these movies: "Butterfly on a Wheel" and "Gray Matters". All of these are/were filmed in British Columbia, Canada.


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John Crawford

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Flop: Stargate SG-1 Series Finale

What a let down. They hyped this episode for months, but it really could have been just another episode. there was no endings, no closures, no surprise cameos, nothing that would make you think of it as the final episode of a 10 year running series. We already knew this was the very last episode, we did not know if someone would really die. We already knew that Amanda Tapping was moving to Atlantis. The only somewhat issue was the Teal'c aged approximately 50 years.

OK, that's not to say it wasn't a good episode. Given the key players were trapped on a ship for that long, the inevitable things happened when boys and girls are together. But what happened to all the other crew members? OK, maybe it wasn't such a good episode.


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John Crawford

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A Sleeper: The 4400, Season 4 Premier

It's been awhile since writing in this column. Science Fiction is one of my passions, but writing here is all dependent on what's new on TV. Or in this case, what's not new on TV. When you like a TV series, you look forward to when it's on. It's been 9 months since the last new episode of The 4400 aired, and like millions of 4400 fans, this Sunday night at 9:00PM I'll be tuned in.

What I think the show producers or the studio maybe forgot was the show has been off the air for 9 months. OK, USA network shows a episode occasionally late at night, 1:00 or 2:00 AM, but who's awake for it? So for Season 4 they have no planned marathon, no showing of season 3's finale, no lead up to the story. Nothing. This is in contrast to the season 3 premier which was proceeded by a whole day marathon and a special episode that explained the entire story.

I guess those that make the show or the studio are out of touch with the fans. I have friends that say they liked the show but since they never see or hear about it they assumed it was cancelled. I mean, unless you watch the USA Network allot (and I don't), then you would be very much uninformed about such things. That is a shame since it is a great show.

And it's not just The 4400. There's the Dead Zone, Monk, and Psych. If you don't watch the USA Network you won't know what's up with any of those shows. The USA Network seems to be preoccupied with anything "Law & Order". But I'm not here to dis the network, after all, they do show The 4400, Dead Zone, Monk, and Psych, and that's very good. I just hope these shows will survive the lack of PR a marathon, or special episode does for a continuing storyline.


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John Crawford

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Star Trek: To Be Captain

Who do you think would make a good ships Captain? We've had 41 years of Star Trek, 5 TV series, 10 feature films, an animated series, comic books and hundred of novels. And that's just a drop in the bucket. There's another feature film on the horizon, and another series in the rumor mill. But if you could plant your favorite actor or actress in the captains chair, who might that be? Here's some names I've kick around over the years. Some you may find obvious based on the roles they've played. Others may be a stretch. After actor Alan Ruck took the chair in Star Trek: Generation, maybe the writers need a little nudge. His character, Captain John Harriman, had to be the least experienced captain in Starfleet history. Maybe his experience was set to "arrive on Tuesday", along with his crew, his medical team, and the tractor beam.

Here's my list.

Kurt Russell
Patricia Heaton
Tom Hanks
Ben Affleck
Billy Bob Thornton
Sandra Bullock
Julia Roberts
Claudia Black
Amanda Tappping
Teryl Rothery
Catherine Bell
Eric Close
Will Smith
Gillian Anderson



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John Crawford

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