SAT 03 - The Return of Babylon 5

Another thing I'm impatiently waiting for this year is Babylon 5: The Lost Tales — Voices in the Dark. When Warner Bros again approached J. Michael Straczynski (JMS) to do a feature film in the B5 universe, JMS said no but he did put up another suggestion that eventually lead to an agreement for an anthology released direct to DVD. Anyway it is due out in July so all I'm waiting for is an indication that it will be a simultaneous multi region release, otherwise I ain't gonna be happy!

Babylon 5 is one of my all time favourite shows. A five year story with complex plots and complex characters. I originally collected this series on video tape but alas tape doesn't hold up well against time and repeated viewings. I ended up selling the tapes and investing in DVD's - now I'm a happy chappy :D

I do enjoy JMS's style so I will be interested to see what he comes up with in the "short story" style. Of course I'd LOVE a feature film but until JMS can wrap his brain around how to handle the absence of the now sadly departed Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs, he's never going to even think about a big production.

OK, now I have three things I'm looking forward to this year, maybe I should start a list or something. Happy Feet, Sanctuary and Babylon 5.

Can anyone tell me why we have the region system still in force for DVD's? To me it is just another sign of an industry that is out of step with consumer demand. I know I'm over simplifying it here but doesn't it make more sense to release something worldwide and get a return on your investment even faster? Hopefully the entertainment industry will eventually come up with a more flexible way of working because the current big business approach is killing creativity. I guess it harkens back to what I said a few days ago about balance and how it's not good to run a business with an "accountant mentality" only.

Oooooh that reminds me, It's March now. Wasn't there some campaign against RIAA bully tactics this month? Off I go to search ... Yep, here it is - at Gizmodo

I'll be keeping an eye on how it goes. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people being reimbursed for their work. It's just when the big boys restrict what you can and can't have and tell you how and when, then people will find ways to circumvent it. How about you stop being greedy and trying to control everything - I have found most people are actually honest and are willing to be fair. Just think about how much money they could save by ditching the high priced lawyers ;) RIAA, MPAA, DRM all initials that to me speak of outdated ideas and restrictive trading. They really need to work on finding a balance because to paraphrase a famous princess "The more you tighten your grip, the more they will slip through your fingers".

That's one of the many reasons why I'm interested in Sanctuary (gee I worked it into the convo again) they're trying something different and trying to be responsive to what consumers would like. By the way, have you seen the cool teaser the production people have on their site? It's worth a visit and has a choice of resolutions or you can watch the YouTube version here (me, I prefer the hi-res ones from the official site).









The geek in me came across a few interesting things recently :

1. The NASA New horizons spacecraft did it's fly by of Jupiter recently on it's way to the outer reaches of our solar system. Read the news release and then onto the web page for some photos. Check it out at NASA
   
2. I want one!! Star Trek original series phaser universal remote control. Check it out at Phone Phun
   
3. Phooey on the gamers! If this headset actually does what they claim then it could be a boon for the disabled. I'd love to see the demo at the Game Developer's Conference. Check it out at Project Epoc 1 and Project Epoc 2
   

Catch ya later,
Trace