Constantin Films has finally come out with a full theatricaal trailer for their upcoming 3D motion capture Tarzan film starring Kellen Lutz as Tarzan and Spencer Locke as Jane. What do you think? I’ll leave my comments in the comments section like everyone else.
Here is the previous Teaser trailer:
As a one-time quasi-professional guitar picker who gave up doing it professionally several lifetimes ago (er ….. that should be “failed to make it professionally”) but has tried to keep it up over the years — I am just in awe and amazed by the artistry of astronaut (and International Space Station Commander!) Chris Hadfield who music video cover of David Bowie’s Space Oddity Youtubed down from the ISS absolutely rocks. The vocals and guitar were recorded on the International Space Station, and the rest of the music was recorded down here on earth. The video is produced by Hadfield’s son Evan, and edited by Andrew Tidby. Oh — and Hadfield and fellow astronauts Roman Romanenko and Thomas Marshburn just landed safely in Kazakhstan — so Hadfield’s mission turned out a little better than Major Tom’s.
But seriously folks….this is just beyond awesome. Watch. And remember — those aren’t special effects. They are the real deal.
And here is an article on the safe return to earth and more about Hadfield.
And this one: Ten Things About Chris Hadfield
Scott Tracy Griffin’s Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration is a Locus Award Finalist in the Art Book Category. Congrats to Tracy, ERB Inc, and Titan Press. If you haven’t “Liked” the Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration Facebook page yet, you can click here to do so.
Here is the full press release from Locus (Art Book is the last category — that’s where you’ll find Tracy’s book listed).
2013 Locus Awards Finalists
— posted Wednesday 8 May 2013 @ 3:52 pm PDT
The Locus Science Fiction Foundation has announced the top five finalists in each category of the 2013 Locus Awards.
Winners will be announced during the Locus Awards Weekend in Seattle WA, June 28-30, 2013. Connie Willis will MC the awards ceremony and judge the annual Hawai’ian shirt contest. Additional weekend events include author readings; a kickoff Clarion West party honoring first week instructor Liz Hand, Clarion West supporters, awards weekend ticket holders, and special guests; panels with leading authors; an autograph session with books available for sale thanks to University Book Store; and a lunch banquet, all followed by a Locus party on Saturday night launching Telling Tales: The Clarion West 30th Anniversary Anthology, edited by Ellen Datlow (Hydra House) and celebrating the 2013 SF Hall of Fame inductees.
SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
- The Hydrogen Sonata, Iain M. Banks (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
- Caliban’s War, James S.A. Corey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- Redshirts, John Scalzi (Tor; Gollancz)
FANTASY NOVEL
- The Killing Moon, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- The Drowning Girl, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Roc)
- Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
- Hide Me Among the Graves, Tim Powers (Morrow; Corvus)
- The Apocalypse Codex, Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit UK)
YOUNG ADULT BOOK
- The Drowned Cities, Paolo Bacigalupi (Little, Brown; Atom)
- Pirate Cinema, Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen)
- Railsea, China Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan)
- Dodger, Terry Pratchett (Harper; Doubleday UK)
- The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente (Feiwel and Friends; Much-in-Little ’13)
FIRST NOVEL
- Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)
- vN, Madeline Ashby (Angry Robot US; Angry Robot UK)
- Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (Random House; Doubleday UK)
- The Games, Ted Kosmatka (Del Rey; Titan)
- Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson (Grove; Corvus)
NOVELLA
- “In the House of Aryaman, a Lonely Signal Burns”, Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s 1/12)
- On a Red Station, Drifting, Aliette de Bodard (Immersion)
- After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress (Tachyon)
- “The Stars Do Not Lie”, Jay Lake (Asimov’s 10-11/12)
- The Boolean Gate, Walter Jon Williams (Subterranean)
NOVELETTE
- “Faster Gun”, Elizabeth Bear (Tor.com 8/12)
- “The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi”, Pat Cadigan (Edge of Infinity)
- “Close Encounters”, Andy Duncan (The Pottawatomie Giant & Other Stories)
- “Fake Plastic Trees”, Caitlín R. Kiernan (After)
- “The Lady Astronaut of Mars”, Mary Robinette Kowal (Rip-Off!)
SHORT STORY
- “The Deeps of the Sky”, Elizabeth Bear (Edge of Infinity)
- “Immersion”, Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 6/12)
- “Mantis Wives”, Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld 8/12)
- “Elementals”, Ursula K. Le Guin (Tin House Fall ’12)
- “Mono No Aware”, Ken Liu (The Future Is Japanese)
ANTHOLOGY
- After, Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds. (Hyperion)
- The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-ninth Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed. (St. Martin’s Griffin; Robinson as The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 25)
- The Future Is Japanese, Nick Mamatas & Masumi Washington, eds. (Haikasoru)
- Edge of Infinity, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Solaris US; Solaris UK)
- The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume Six, Jonathan Strahan, ed. (Night Shade)
COLLECTION
- The Best of Kage Baker, Kage Baker (Subterranean)
- Shoggoths in Bloom, Elizabeth Bear (Prime)
- At the Mouth of the River of Bees, Kij Johnson (Small Beer)
- The Unreal and the Real: Selected Stories Volume One: Where on Earthand Volume Two: Outer Space, Inner Lands, Ursula K. Le Guin (Small Beer)
- The Dragon Griaule, Lucius Shepard (Subterranean)
MAGAZINE
- Asimov’s
- F&SF
- Tor.com
- Clarkesworld
- Subterranean
PUBLISHER
- Tor
- Subterranean Press
- Orbit
- Baen
- Angry Robot
EDITOR
- John Joseph Adams
- Ellen Datlow
- Gardner Dozois
- Jonathan Strahan
- Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
ARTIST
- Donato Giancola
- Stephan Martiniere
- John Picacio
- Shaun Tan
- Michael Whelan
NON-FICTION
- An Exile on Planet Earth, Brian Aldiss (Bodleian Library)
- Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels 1985-2010, Damien Broderick & Paul Di Filippo, eds. (NonStop)
- Distrust That Particular Flavor, William Gibson (Putnam)
- The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn, eds. (Cambridge University Press)
- Some Remarks, Neal Stephenson (Morrow)
ART BOOK
- Spectrum 19: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner, eds. (Underwood)
- Trolls, Brian Froud & Wendy Froud (Abrams)
- Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration, Scott Tracy Griffin (Titan)
- J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull, eds. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
- Steampunk: An Illustrated History, Brian J. Robb (Aurum)
Lisa V. Tomecek is is the author of the upcoming novel Oath of Blood and is a friend of Edgar Rice Burroughs, The John Carter Files, and assorted denizens here at JCF. I’ve had the pleasure of corresponding with her lately on Facebook — and today she’s published a wonderful post on her blogsite. Here are the first two paragraphs and a link to the rest of the article. Highly recommended. And by the way, there’s a lovely mention of JCG and the letter recently published here by 82 year old ERBophile Thomas McGurk if you click on the link at the end of the excerpt.
Of Deserts and Dead Sea-Bottoms
I am one of those people who finds meaning in ritual. Not necessarily a spiritual or religious kind of ritual–though those can certainly have their merits–but the word at the root sense of its meaning: the repetition of meaningful action. I find these sorts of things, when purposefully done, to have a refreshing and grounding effect on the psyche. They help to clarify things that have become clouded, to clear out the cobwebs that slowly and surely accrete in the corners of our lives.
One of the great mental cleansing rituals to which I subscribe is the vacation, and within the context of vacation, if I am to be traveling, the passing of the long hours with audiobooks. It should come as no surprise, then, that when my husband Ryan and I set out this past week for the deserts of West Texas in what was part research trip, part escape from the drudgery of daily life, we passed the time in just that way. Nor should it come as any shock that, being the sort of person I am (and, thankfully, the sort of person he is) we filled those hours with the adventures of Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ first hero, the peerless John Carter of Mars.
That, too, is a bit of a ritual–at least for me. I tend to associate the deserts of the Southwest withBarsoom, and any time I point myself in that direction, I am inclined to touch base with the part of me that finds so much significance in those stories. But I am (of course) getting ahead of myself. As befits the subject, there’s a long story that will make sense of why and how and when all that began for me–and why it still matters today, especially as concerns my own writing life.
Read the rest here.
John “Bridge” Martin, one of the great stalwarts of the Burroughs Bibliophile universe, has shared with us ”John Carter, Stanton Style” an epic poem that is as vivid and engaging as anything Homer or Virgil might have produced. Here it is — enjoy! (and learn more about John at the end).
John Carter, Stanton Style
By John “Bridge” Martin
How could they ever make a film of Burroughs’ Mars sensation? Continue reading »
How could they put “A Princess” on the screen?
Animation? Harryhauseuen? Superdynamation?
If ’twas to be believed, it must be seen.
This year, May 1st is the fifth anniversary of the death longtime keeper of the Burroughs flame Danton Burroughs, grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs who died on this date in 2008. I knew Danton well and treasured my friendship with him, but there are countless more among the ERB faithful who knew him longer and better than I. In my case, my good fortune was that when I met him for the first time, with a little nudge from Bill Hillman at ERBzine, I wrote about that first wonderful evening in an article that I’d like to share on his death anniversary.
Before I get to that — a word about Danton’s manner of passing, which was recorded in the LA Times as follows:
Tarzan creator’s heir protected the legacy
Danton Burroughs, who spent his life marketing and protecting the work of his grandfather, Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, died May 1 at his home in Tarzana, the San Fernando Valley community named after his ancestor’s most famous fictional character. He was 63. Burroughs, who had been battling Parkinson’s disease, died of heart failure a day after a fire at his home destroyed a room filled with family memorabilia.
What the article didn’t say was that Danton, who suffered from chronic asthma in addition to Parkinsons, refused to leave what was essentially the smoldering ruins of the treasure trove of memorabilia he had worked so hard, and so lovingly, to protect. The doctor’s urged him to get away from the smoke, give his lungs a break, but he refused.
The LA Times had it right. He did die of heart failure, just not the kind the writer of the obituary had in mind.
If you have a minute — do read
An Evening With Danton Burroughs
which includes some great photos as well.
My personal recollections pale beside the many wonderful pages maintained by Bill Hillman/ERBzine remembering Danton:
Danton Burroughs Memorial Site and Family Archive
Danton Remembered in the Press
Burroughs Bibliophiles Remember Danton
Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. is substantially expanding its Sunday Comic Strip Subscription website. Click here to visit the site where for $1.99/month you get some amazing content that isn’t available anywhere else.
Plus ….
Continue reading »
Over at Cinema Pots, blogger RoughStoneRolling has taken a shot at explaining to those-who-do-not-know just who it is that is the literary Daddy of Superman. He starts out by quoting Zack Snyder, who recently said of Superman — “Understand that this is the grandaddy of all superheroes.” No to tell the truth, when I saw that, I thought …hmmmm…..what about Superman’s literary Daddy? But then I thought, when it comes to the popular consciousness as it has evolved over the years, it’s a fair statement to call Superman the Grandaddy when you consider the long, long list of Superheroes who came after him — and the short (very short) list of those who came before.
But ….
Now ol’ Cinema Pots has taken on the task, without any negativity toward Superman, mind you.
Check it out:
Who is Superman’s Daddy?
‘Understand that this is the granddaddy of all superheroes.’ - Zach Snyder director of Man of Steel
It’s been said that Superman was the granddaddy of all super heroes. But who was Superman’s daddy? No I’m not talking Jar-El. I’m talking a Virginian cavalryman who had a special affinity for a red planet. He was also transported to a distant planet and upon arriving gained super strength, super speed and the ability to leap over buildings and great distances. Who am I talking about? John Carter. Yup, the same character that came to the big screen not too long ago. He predates Superman by a few years and also has been the original inspiration for more writers, directors and comic book creators alike than any other hero in 20th century fiction. (At least I hope so)
Think about it. They are both aliens on a planet where they have super strength, can leap higher than a skyscraper in a single bound. Superman originally couldn’t even fly. (See the info graphic below)
Original Powers: Super Fast, Super Strong, Super Jump (what no flying?)
Superman is from a heavy gravity planet and comes to earth. That’s where the original concept comes from.
JERRY SIEGEL, Superman creator:
“John Carter was able to leap great distances because the planet Mars was smaller than the planet Earth, and so he had great strength. I visualized the planet Krypton as a huge planet, much larger than Earth, so that whoever came to Earth from that planet would be able to leap great distances and lift great weights.” – (regarding how John Carter inspired Superman) (1983)
Author Scott Tracy Griffin’s Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration now has a Facebook page, launched on April 22nd. Please support it – here is the link: Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration Facebook Page. Please go there and click LIKE! Tracy has been a stalwart supporter of John Carter and all things ERBian for many years.
For anyone not familiar with the book, Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration is the only authorized commemorative visual history of American author Edgar Rice Burroughs’ famed ape man. Here is the full Amazon product description.
Continue reading »
As many of you know, John Carter Files now has a doppelganger site, Man of Steel 360, reflecting our adoption of the Last Son of Krypton on the grounds that he is the literary descendant of John Carter. Not that we really needed an excuse — but there it is, in case one is needed. It’s off to a pretty good start, and I have to say — it’s fun to follow something that’s got real buzz, after suffering through Disney’s Zombie-like promotion of John Carter. Truth is, I had zero excitement for Man of Steel until I saw the latest trailer, but that trailer made a believer out of me and now I’m pretty excited. (I’m embedding that trailer at the bottom of this post for those who may not have seen it.) Anyway, from time to time I’ll provide links to the stories that are getting posted over there. Here are some selected recent stories:
Man of Steel Tops Trailer Charts but lags on Twitter, Facebook. Worried?
Five Man of Steel Fan Trailers Worth Watching
Hans Zimmer’s Man of Steel Soundtrack — Product Details Released
Some Interesting Man of Steel Posters from the UK
Reflections on Superman’s Jewish Roots by Rabbi Simcha Weinstein
Q and A with Man of Steel Screenwriter David Goyer
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