Space oddities: why the Futurama reboot went from sci-fi to sci-why

The show was axed and remade, moving to Comedy Central and leaving its comedic legacy behindMatt Groening could do no wrong in 1999. The Simpsons was still both witty and money-spinning, and he could get any project he wanted greenlit – even a sci-fi comedy cartoon called Futurama. The show began with New Year’s Eve 1999, when disillusioned pizza delivery boy Philip J Fry fell into a cryogenic vat, only to awaken 1,000 years later in “the world of tomorrow!”. His excitement at his new life was tempered by finding out everyone in the future has a career assigned by the government, and his job was to be a delivery boy for Planet Express – motto: “Our crew is replaceable, your package isn’t!”On board the Planet Express spaceship with the immature and slovenly Fry were cyclops orphan Leela, drunken robot Bender, clumsy intern Amy and incompetent alien medical lobster Dr Zoidberg: a crew of misfits seemingly designed to connect directly to the types of misfits who watch cartoon science fiction. Every mission was an adventure, whether it be discovering a parallel universe in a cardboard box or battling parasites in Fry’s bowels. Present-day celebrities made cameos as preserved heads in jars, which was a lot more satisfying than how The Simpsons handled them. Everyone from Stephen Hawking (“That physicist who invented gravity”) to Al Gore (“Inventor of the internet”) was willing to be decapitated to appear on the funniest show on TV. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2019-06-10 12:00:09 UTC ]
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‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ — about to get a reboot — is the perfect Christmas tale

The classic adventure story mirrors the holiday season — weeks of madcap action and inner turmoil that usher in a morning of gladness and goodwill. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-12-22 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Waiting list for LBF as rollovers and reduced space leave some firms struggling

Some agents and publishers who chose not to roll over their London Book Fair bookings from 2020 have reported struggling to get tables at next year’s event, with organisers admitting there is now a waiting list amid high demand and construction works at the Olympia venue. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-20 16:42:18 UTC ]
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Heligo set to launch into business and smart thinking space with fresh approach

Bonnier Books UK’s new list Heligo Books is seeking to broaden the market for business and smart thinking books by reaching new audiences with strong branding, says its editorial director Rik Ubhi. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-17 03:27:21 UTC ]
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3 privately owned, commercial space stations get NASA funding

NASA announced on Thursday it has awarded $415.6 million US to billionaire Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, stalwart contractor Northrop Grumman Corp and venture-backed Nanoracks to develop privately owned and operated commercial space stations. ... Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2021-12-03 12:56:05 UTC ]
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The Expanse Saga Takes Its Final Space Flight

The bestselling, Hugo Award–winning science fiction series, which has reimagined the space opera and spawned an acclaimed television series, will wrap up this November with 'Leviathan Falls.' Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, the writing duo known by the pseudonym James S.A. Corey, discusses their... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The pink playground effect: How Chicago turned 12 vacant lots into vibrant community space

Chicago’s Architecture Biennial could permanently transform the city’s vacant lots. Chicago’s latest attraction is a bright pink playground. Designed by architect Germane Barnes of Studio Barnes, in Miami, the climbable pavilion sits on a vacant lot in North Lawndale, a low-income, majority... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2021-09-28 06:00:28 UTC ]
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NASA's NIAC Program Gives a Sneak Peek at the Future of Space Travel

As the agency develops plans for exploring the moon and Mars, it's seeking cutting-edge research that could turn science fiction into reality. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2021-09-22 21:04:50 UTC ]
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Ukraine’s International Book Space Festival Returns as a Physical Event

With a focus on 'New Intimacy' during the ongoing pandemic, Ukraine's International Book Space Festival in Dnipro runs September 3 to 5. The post Ukraine’s International Book Space Festival Returns as a Physical Event appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-08-26 14:56:50 UTC ]
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Richard Branson, the press, and the space in between

It’s space, Richard—at least as NASA knows it. Yesterday, the British billionaire Richard Branson, two pilots, and three other people rode a rocket plane operated by Virgin Galactic, an arm of Branson’s business empire, fifty three and a half miles into the air—a test run for the sort of private... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review

[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-07-12 12:05:06 UTC ]
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What’s driving the pilots that will fly paying customers into space?

The stereotype of military and machismo is still prevalent if not exclusive, but the stories are complicated Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-11 12:00:00 UTC ]
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America needed a space race hero. John Glenn was the obvious choice.

Jeff Shesol recounts the astronaut’s dazzling career and role in the Cold War-era faceoff. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-28 12:00:00 UTC ]
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11 Great Middle Grade Science Fiction Comics Set in Space

Middle grade books in SPAAAAACE! Check out some middle grade science fiction comics set in space, including On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-04-13 10:36:00 UTC ]
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International pandemic book trends discussed at ReBoot workshop

The resilience of the print market, digital library borrowing and the appetite for backlist titles during the pandemic were among topics discussed at the ReBoot Books Business and Reading workshop held on Thursday (25th February). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-25 18:25:30 UTC ]
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Space Force sounds like a joke thanks to pop culture – that could be a problem for an important military branch

Science fiction has often had an inspirational and positive relationship with space endeavors. But the new US Space Force is struggling with a pop culture public relations problem. Continue reading at The Conversation

[ The Conversation | 2021-02-19 13:20:06 UTC ]
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In Edward Carey’s ‘The Swallowed Man,’ ‘Pinocchio’ gets a reboot

Carey’s novel is an existential fairy tale for adults told by an old artist considering the tragedy of life. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-28 06:47:56 UTC ]
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She once found comfort in open spaces. Now it’s harder than ever.

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[ The Washington Post | 2021-01-08 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Jeff Bezos’s thoughts on Big Business, outer space and The Washington Post

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[ The Washington Post | 2020-11-20 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Stories Happen in the Space Between How We Feel and What We Say

Short stories are a complex form, one that author and professor Danielle Evans continues to show herself adept in. The ever-shifting opportunities of short fiction are evident in Evans’s work, from her debut collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self to her latest, The Office of... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2020-11-20 12:00:00 UTC ]
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