.The Burnside Council will tonight decide whether to move ahead with the sale of the Chelsea cinema at Kensington Park.
A report summing up the council’s community consultation will be handed to councillors tonight along with two petitions of more than 3,000 signatures each.
The report shows that the petitions and the majority of people who responded to its consultation want the heritage-listed building to continue operating as a cinema.
– No long-term solution –
The Save the Chelsea Action Group says an offer to help cover maintenance costs for the Chelsea cinema is not a long-term solution.
Councillors will also have the opportunity to ask for more time to make their decision, with a motion to postpone the sale also on the agenda.
A council report shows that the building needs about $50,000 in restoration work over the next three years.
The South Australian Government says it will pay half the cost of repairing the heritage-listed building if Burnside Council retains ownership and keeps it operating as a cinema.
The group’s spokesman, Andrew Reilly, says the funding is welcomed, but it will not secure the cinema’s future.
“So I’m not sure that it will change their view, but they have got a very large community consultation report they’ll be receiving at the meeting tonight. .”

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Hugo Award-winning SF author Elizabeth Bear told us that her latest novel, All the Windwracked Stars, is something she’s been working on since time immemorial–or what feels like it, anyway.
“Basically, it’s the conjunction of a lot of different things: my love for post-apocalyptic science fantasy and my desire to do something slightly different with it are probably the most deep-seated motives, however,” Bear said in an interview. “I also wanted to build a world where the cultural foundation was a bit different than our own–something a little divorced from Romano-Christian ideals and emotional logic. .”
In the novel, in the last city on a dying world, the last Valkyrie encounters the ancient enemy she blames for the destruction of her society . and then “wackiness ensues,” Bear said.. “The book’s main protagonist is Muire, a historian and sculptor who happens to be 2300 years old, and a supernatural being,” she said. “Actually, the book was easy to write, although it took me many, many drafts to get it right,” she said.
Bear said that a ton of research went into the book, but added that she hopes it’s not immediately apparent. I like this place and these people and their story. “But writing it was an awful lot of fun, as I was very engaged with the characters and the world the entire time. “The bit I think is amazingly cool, and which soaked up most of the research, was integrating traditional Norse magic and religion into a technological society and trying to make them seem as if they had grown up together, inseparable,” Bear said.”
The book is science fantasy, so the science deals mostly with well-established tropes. “The setting is also very fun. “The setting is also very fun. She’s also writing for the ongoing collaborative Web fiction project , which is gearing up for season two.”
Other recent projects of Bear’s include the recent novels Ink and Steel and Hell and Earth, which she describes as Elizabethan fantasies featuring poets, spies, devils and faerie queens. –John Joseph Adams

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In a surprise ruling, a federal judge in Los Angeles said he intended to grant 20th Century Fox’s claim that it owns a copyright interest in the Watchmen, a movie shot by Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures and set for release in March, The New York Times reported on Christmas Eve.
The decision was disclosed in a five-page written order issued on Dec. Gary A. 24.
Fox has been seeking to prevent Warner from releasing the film. Feess, a judge in the United States District Court for Central California, said he would provide a more detailed order soon. . The superhero adventure, based on the Watchmen graphic novel, is being directed by Zack Snyder (300) and has shaped up as one of most eagerly anticipated releases for next year.

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At the San Diego Comic-Con last July, writer/producer Joss Whedon raised the possiblity of a sequel to his hit Internet musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which is available on DVD today. To which we say: Heck yeah!
The three-part musical/comedy/drama came together during last year’s writers’ strike and hit the Web with much fanfare. Horrible’s efforts to woo the laundromat girl, Penny (Felicia Day) to defeat his archnemesis, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion) and to qualify for membership in the Evil League of Evil. Centering on a wannabe supervillain played by Neil Patrick Harris, the show chonicled Dr. With a crashing economy, crippling ice storms and the unfortunate return of short-brimmed hats as a male fashion statement, the nation needs Dr.
By turns silly, heartwarming and heartbreaking, the webisodes practically cried out for follow-up. Horrible more than ever.
Dr. Here’s why. After Penny’s unfortunate encounter with the freeze ray, Dr. Horrible is ready for a new adventure. He’s got a fancy new red costume, and he’s been accepted into the Evil League of Evil. H goes full evil. Captain Hammer is in therapy, and our favorite bad guy has every reason to seek revenge. Captain Hammer is in therapy, and our favorite bad guy has every reason to seek revenge. in horribleness can think of fantastically evil ways to exact it.D.

Captain Hammer could become something even crazier.
This story continues below the image. Just imagine the weirdness that could come out of the brain of someone who saves damsels in distress by throwing them into a pile of garbage. Aside from the fact that Fillion is just plain pretty to look at, he pulls off smarmy superhero like nobody’s business. Everyone loved Day as sweet, doomed Penny. And the questions: What special muscles has he been working on?
Penny is gone. Now that Dr. But she was all wrong for the doc. Of course, Penny could always come back–Whedon’s brought characters back from the dead before. Of course, Penny could always come back–Whedon’s brought characters back from the dead before. In fact, he’s brought them all back from the dead, come to think of it …
The Evil League of Evil. The head of the league is called Bad Horse, and he’s an actual horse, accompanied by a retinue of singing cowboys. . Still to be heard from: Professor Normal, Fake Thomas Jefferson and Dead Bowie.
This story continues below the image.

Because the fans demand it! Do a search for Dr. Horrible fan fiction and prepare to be amazed. The Facebook fan site has 89,608 members the series has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award and Time Magazine gave it the number 15 spot in its Top 50 Innovations of 2008. Show us it’s not just a fluke.

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Science fiction shows–including NBC’s Heroes, ABC’s Lost and Fox’s Fringe–were among the year’s top 10 most “time-shifted TV series”–the most TiVo’d, to you and me–according to the Nielsen Co., Variety reported.
In a second list that ranked shows in order of the percentage increase attributable to time-shifted viewing, SCI FI Channel’s Battlestar Galactica came out on top, notching a whopping 53 percent jump in households. The new list is a ranking of the programs that saw the biggest increases in DVR use in 2008. .
Other strong cable showings included SCI FI’s Sanctuary (35 percent) and Eureka (34 percent)

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Olivia Wilde and Beau Garrett are the first to sign on for the sequel to Tron, called either TR2N or Tron 2.0, depending on which Hollywood trade paper is doing the reporting.
Sean Bailey is producing along with Steven Lisberger, who co-wrote and directed the original film, and Jeff Silver.
The sequel to the 1982 Disney movie is being directed by Joseph Kosinski, a commercial director.
The new movie is acting as a “next chapter,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The original centered on a programmer who is thrust into a computer and forced to fight in games he helped create. Garrett will play a siren in the virtual world. Plot details are being guarded closely, but Wilde will play a worker in the virtual world who tries to help fight Master Control Program, the villainous intelligence protocol that was the nemesis in the original film.
Tron 2.
The male lead has not been cast, but the studio and filmmakers are screen-testing actors as it brings on other leads and supporting players. Kosinski shot reels to test technology and showcase his vision for the film the footage screened at Comic-Con in July and was one of the most buzzed-about films coming out of the geekfest.0 is eyeing a spring shoot and is shaping up as one of the studio’s most anticipated projects in years.
Jeff Bridges is expected to reprise his role from the original movie.

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Spanish filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo, director of the upcoming SF mind bender Timecrimes, told us that he has been dreaming of making movies his entire life. After toiling for a few years as a commercial actor, Vigalondo received universal acclaim for his short 7:35 in the Morning in 2003.
It took some time and a lot of patience, but Vigalondo was eventually able to scrape together the finances for his feature-film directorial debut, Timecrimes. The short was later nominated for an Oscar.
Timecrimes is a cinematic head trip requiring close attention in order to follow the intricate and constantly changing time-travel storyline. He also wrote the screenplay and played the crucial part of Chico.
Hollywood has already taken notice and picked up the rights for an American remake, shooting next year. It features an unlikely hero, Hector (Karra Elejalde), who is unwittingly thrust into a series of increasingly bizarre circumstances when he enters a time machine and travels one hour into the past. 12. The original Spanish film will be released stateside in limited release on Dec. Below is an edited version of the interview.
us spoke with Vigalondo recently about the stateside release, the American remake and his future plans in Hollywood. I love time-travel stories.
Where did you first get this idea?
Vigalondo: I’d been reading shorts and science fiction literature all of my life. You cannot be the same when you’re making a time-travel story. When you’re making a time-travel story, you are supposed to make a new step in a new direction.
This story continues below the video window. This was a big challenge, to make something about time travel that somehow felt new.
Vigalondo: Yes.

It seems like a tricky story to write, because you must go over and over each little detail to make sure it all lines up. When you’re making a movie like this, and you think this or that will be great, you have to assume everything will require extra effort. I made a rough draft of this story, which was maybe [already] too much. I wasn’t worried, because if you just make a film that matches, you will just make a film that is logical but boring. The challenge is not only making something that matches, but also making something fun.
I’m not worried if someone gets lost watching the film.
I’m not worried if someone gets lost watching the film. I’m worried if they get bored. The movie works somehow based on the audience reactions. People seem to really, really like it and love talking about it after they’ve seen it. They keep talking about all the paradoxes. Is it intentional or an error in the script?
The best movies are always the ones that the audiences discuss afterwards rather than something they simply forget about right after leaving the theater.
Vigalondo: Yeah, yeah. Once a friend told me that he had friends that had been talking about the film all night, as if that was something bad. I was like, “If you’re telling me that you’ve been talking about the film for more time than the length of the movie, I win.”
I don’t like when a movie starts in an explosive way and then, by the third act, it’s just a repetition of a cliché. I hate that. I wanted to make a film in which the third act is the best.
You wrote and directed Timecrimes and also acted in it. Which is your preference?
Vigalondo: I started as an actor. I worked in commercials in the ‘90s. It was easier for me to work as an actor, to make it. Now it’s the opposite. All my offers come for making films. Being an actor is more complicated. I think now I’m going to focus on the writer/director thing.
What are your thoughts on the real-life applications of time travel?
Vigalondo: I love to put time travel in the stories. I’m not worried about those elements in real life. I love time travel as a pop culture icon. I love when something so complicated becomes a cultural icon, and I love to work with that. I love when you have to deal with this impossible element in a very intimate way.
What is your next film?
Vigalondo: I don’t know yet. I’m playing with several projects. I’m writing a script and at the same time trying to develop another script in the U.S.A. I don’t know what’s going to come next.
How involved will you be in the Hollywood remake of Timecrimes?
Vigalondo: I’ve been, all my life, dreaming of making films, and I cannot picture making the same one twice. I want to make a different one as soon as possible. I don’t want to be involved in the remake. I feel honored that these big names want to make the remake. It’s amazing, but it’s not my turn. .S.A. I exist in Hollywood because of the remake. That’s my only benefit.
They are going to shoot it next year. United Artists is going to produce the remake, and the guy from Children of Men is going to write the script. It’s going to be a huge remake. It’s going to be fun. I have mixed feelings, because I want to know everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to know anything (laughs).
Will you visit the set?
Vigalondo: It depends on the star. You can be sure that if Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt are in it, I want to be on the set. –Jeff Otto

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Ray Stevenson, who just signed on to co-star in the post-apocalyptic film The Book of Eli, told us that his character is partnered with Gary Oldman’s in pursuit of Eli (Denzel Washington). Stevenson could not name his character yet, as the moniker could change by the time he films.
“[Eli]’s on the wrong side of town, the wrong side of the law, but we’re going to have some fun there,” Stevenson said in an interview in Beverly Hills, Calif. 2, where he was promoting Punisher: War Zone., on Dec.”
Describing the apocalyptic vision of the film as surreal, Stevenson gave an example of a proposed visual cue. “Now that they’ve committed, we’re going to go to work and see what we can do. “At one point you think it’s snowing, but it’s actually ash is still falling,” he said.”
As in films such as The Road Warrior, in which scavengers scrounge for oil, or Waterworld, where survivors scrabble for dirt, the prize possession in Eli’s world is pure water. “It’s like ‘Is this the birth of what will be the next new society, or is this the end, the tail end, the straggling end that’s just going to die out of the old one?’ It’s a pivotal time. “If you imagine what we take for granted, rivers and streams and stuff like this, if that whole thing is disrupted and toxic and poisonous, water is the staff of [life]. “In this post-apocalyptic world, the prime currency is clean water,” Stevenson said. It’s amazing what people focus on. You need water.”
Stevenson has also wrapped filming on Cirque du Freak, based on the novels by Darren Shan.”
Stevenson has also wrapped filming on Cirque du Freak, based on the novels by Darren Shan.
“It’s got this sort of like battle between the two, and then this freak show, this carnival freak show, that grows up,” he said. Reilly.

Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone.
This story continues below the image. “He doesn’t have the long fangs and stuff like this, but I did ask for a little tool [so] that I could actually sit and sharpen my teeth,” Stevenson said. . It’s going to be fun. “It’s just like that sort of grinding aspect of sharpening up your teeth and your nails. Cirque du Freak will be out in 2009.”
The Book of Eli goes into production in 2009 for a 2010 release. –-Fred Topel

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What with the presidential election, Dancing With the Stars finale and other pressing matters, one signature anniversary may have escaped your notice this year.
The 30th anniversary of the Star Wars Holiday Special. 17, 1978.
It aired–once–on Nov.
But its absence, while not making the heart grow fonder, has also failed to diminish the scars inflicted on the collective psyche of Star Wars fans and science fiction aficionados over the decades, and its legend has grown such that even the Empire itself, Lucasfilm and the official , cannot ignore this year’s anniversary. .
For that, you may have to strike your own bargain with the dark forces of evil.
And so, with uncharacteristic self-effacement, the Lucas people are celebrating the Star Wars Holiday Special in all its gaudy horror with a week’s worth of interviews, articles, images and features–everything, it seems, but the cursed thing itself.

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If you’ve always wanted to own Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber or Indiana Jones’ whip, here’s your chance.
Auction house Profiles in History is hosting a mammoth auction of more than 500 costumes, props, set pieces and other items from SF&F movies and TV shows on Dec. 11.K.
The items include Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 costume from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the original “Damien” tricycle from The Omen and a set of all seven Harry Potter books inscribed and signed by author J.
If you’ve got your heart set on owning any of these iconic items, better bust out your checkbook: Items such as Luke’s lightsaber are expected to fetch in the neighborhood of $150,000-$180,000, while the United Planets Cruiser C-57D from Forbidden Planet is expected to command $80,000-$120,000. Rowling. . –John Joseph Adams