Radiation by Fiona Rae

Mega Serene

fireflyfans.net and browncoats.com are counting down to the release of Serenity (and they have different countdowns, btw) but who cares? I’ve seen it! Hah!

The line was very long at the megascreen in the Village Force cinema complex, hereafter known as the Worst Cinema Complex in the World, on Monday 19 September and sadly, we were near the back, but nevertheless, there was a welcome by a chap from United Pictures, a long-ish King Kong trailer, a trailer for some other movie that I can’t remember because it looked crappy, and a pre-recorded message from Joss Whedon himself.

And the movie of course, which I’m not going to tell you about because now the sacred trust of the Whedonverse has been passed on to those who attended. All I can say is that some very cool things happen, some very funny things happen, something really shocking happens and I enjoyed it very much. Reader Morgan had warned me about the sight lines at the megascreen and he wasn’t wrong – we got a seat at the side of the theatre and consequently any character standing on the extreme right of the screen was twice as wide as those in the middle. Perhaps it was just a devious ploy to make the fans who got the crappy seats go back and see the movie again. Guys, you needn’t have bothered.

Entertainment Weekly has a story in its September 16 issue about the use of early screeners, the Internet, world of mouth and the fans spreading the buzz about Serenity. Make it into a hit; get another one made. It can be tricky getting into the ew.com website, you generally have to be a subscriber. Try this story anyway. Also, there’s this cute story from tv.com. All I can say is, I’ve had sex.

TV3 has picked up a number of good shows for its 2006 season, especially My Name Is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris and Prison Break. It also has Kitchen Confidential, which I couldn’t possibly say that I’ve seen and can’t tell you is disappointing. 3 also has David Boreanaz’s next show, Bones, which is basically worth watching for him and co-star Emily Deschanel. That old Mulder and Scully chemistry thing never gets old. TV3 has confirmed a second series of Outrageous Fortune and a third series of bro’Town and there’s a new local drama series called Doves of War as well, written by Greg McGee (Street Legal). Stars Scott Wills, Blair Strang, Robbie Magasiva and Aussies Andy Rodoreda and Kate Atkinson. Kids’ series Maddigan’s Quest is also in the line-up.

Heard Mikey Havoc talking on the radio about how much shit was on television the other day. Just something to ponder.

Here’s a worrying trend. And check out Martha Stewart’s catchphrase. The US series set in Iraq, Over There, starts on Sky Movies 1 on October 5, although these soldiers are less than impressed.