Interster Episode Two: Saboteur

The basic story is this. Earth is testing a new Star Cruiser, the SK Woltemade, that has a powerful weapon.

The Krokons are still intent on gaining inroads against Earth.

Buks de la Rey is assigned to personally deliver orders to the Captain of the Woltemade because Professor Zed thinks communications lines are being spied upon. We are introduced to a robot named Pikkie who insists he should accompany De la rey as Lieutenant Buys has come down with Mars Flu. De la Rey tells Pikkie to stay on Earth.

The Krokon Prince goes to that fixer of all things, the slimy Gorman. In exchange for some concessions (as usual!), Gorman agrees to plant a saboteur on the Woltemade, to cause it to plunge towards a nearby star. When the crew have been overcome by the heat, the Krokons can move in and tow the ship away to disassemble it for its secrets.

Pikkie stows away on De la Rey’s ship against orders. Also on board was the saboteur! In a neat little twist later on, the stowaway Pikkie kills the stowaway Saboteur.

Pikkie also winds up doing a spacewalk to save the life of Buks de la Rey.

Now onto over one hundred screensnaps!

Interster Episode One: Proxima Clash

I got an absolutely amazing Christmas gift from a reader in South Africa who spotted — and then bought — the DVD boxed set of the very rare TV puppet series Interster.

He digitized and uploaded the first episode for me to see!

And he’s posted the URL for everyone else to get it too.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t approve of this. Creators should be paid for their work.

This is an exception on several counts:

1) It is 99.9% unlikely this will ever be sold outside of South Africa, so no royalty money is being stolen here

2) Currency exchange rates make it prohibitive to buy internationally

3) There is worldwide interest in this series from fans of Gerry Anderson‘s Supermarionation TV series

In additional to the download, the reader has now started an Interster blog where, I’m sure, a great deal more information will be found in coming days.

I hope the interest being shown in this series will prompt the rightsholder to offer the series for sale in the iTunes Store here in America (and elsewhere). I’d buy it! And I’m sure other Anderson — and puppetry — fans will too.

There are some notes about to best view the video as well as over ninety screensnaps with some commentary after the break.

Interster TV Series Now On DVD?

According to a Comment I received today, Christmas Eve 2008 in the U.S.A, yes:

Just to let you know Interster Series 1 is available at Musica stores in SA. I bought the the 2 part DVDs in Cape Town yesterday. It is an SABC release.

I hope someone will email me some photos of the boxes to post!

This is exciting news!

Previously here:

Interster: Rare Puppet Series Pics And Videos!
OMFG!!! INTERSTER!!!
Interster Still M.I.A.

At the old blog:

Calling Out To The World Wide Web: Send Me Interster!

R.I.P. Majel Barrett Roddenberry

Majel Roddenberry, ‘First Lady of Star Trek,’ dies

NEW YORK (AP) — Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, has died. She was 76. Roddenberry, an actress who appeared in numerous “Star Trek” TV shows and movies, died Thursday of leukemia at her home in Bel-Air, Calif., her representative said.

At Roddenberry’s side were family friends and her only son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr. Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.

Her romance with Roddenberry earned her the title “The First Lady of Star Trek.” A fixture in the “Star Trek” franchise, her roles included Nurse Christine Chapel in the original “Star Trek,” Lwaxana Troi in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and the voice of the USS Enterprise computer in almost every spin-off of the 1966 cult series. She recently reprised the voice role in the upcoming “Star Trek” film directed by J.J. Abrams.

Of course, being the boss’s wife, we never saw her true acting skills because our eyes were clouded by the nepotism factor. Decades later, when she became the outrageous Auntie Mame-like mother of Counselor Deanna Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation, she wowed all of us and heartily dispelled that original prejudice.

R.I.P. Actor Robert Prosky

Robert Prosky: actor

Robert Prosky was probably best known for his anchoring role in Hill Street Blues, the New York police drama. Despite appearing in nearly 40 films, numerous television series and more than 200 stage plays on Broadway and in Washington, he was one of those actors whose face is much better known than his name.

He was the craggy but loveable police sergeant in Hill Street Blues; the television station owner in Mrs Doubtfire (1993) and the corrupt judge in The Natural (1984). He appeared as a priest on trial for murder in The Practice, a TV legal drama; the experienced executive who is sacked in Broadcast News (1987); and a death-row inmate for Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking (1995). In all, he appeared in more than 250 plays, films and TV shows.

You might not know how good an actor this guy is, if all you’ve seen of him is in Hill Street Blues.

Here is the most chilling portrayal you’ll ever see, from the classic movie Thief:

Gerry Anderson New Scarlet Videos

There are several videos dealing with Gerry Anderson’s New Captain Scarlet now up on Youtube. I suspect at least one of them came from a UK DVD of the series. But since that series is not for sale here in the USA …

By the way, check whatever HDTV service you are using. New Scarlet has had sporadic airings on some here in the US. You might get to see it.

New Captain Scarlet – Behind The Scenes

Cagney & Lacey

One of the hottest shows on CBS Monday night at 10PM was Cagney & Lacey.

It turns out it has an official website.

And producer Barney Rosenzweig has written a book.

(I must go off on a tangent here. He originally did it POD with iUniverse and there’s a frank discussion of what that was like. I’m hoping Rosenzweig will investigate the possibly of an eBook edition — for people like me who can’t deal with paper any longer.)

I’m pretty sure I watched the entire Daly/Gless series when it aired — or at least once it was parked in that Monday at 10PM spot. Some TV series become “appointment TV” — and Cagney & Lacey was one of those for me.

And now, the great opening titles:

The Tyranny of DVD

J&R had a really impressive and tempting Black Friday DVD sale. So tempting that at opening time, over 100 people had already lined up for it! (I was passing by, not a participant!)

Among the goodies: complete season boxed sets of Monk and House and others for only $15-$20!

I was really drooling over the possibilities of that … but then thought ahead.

1) How often would I want to watch those? After Hill Street Blues did its run, it had a very limited syndication life. I tuned in to one episode and … it was already dated! It seemed old, but not in a good way.

2) I already have several boxed sets of TV series. I don’t watch them as often as I thought I would. In fact, while watching some of them, I was beginning to resent watching them again. Another 25-50 minutes gone from my life — and for what?

3) DVD boxed sets weigh something. If I had been stupefyingly rich and indulged myself in every boxed set that looked good, I’d have even more things and even more weight to lug around when moving!

4) There really is only a very, very limited number of things I could stand to see more than 3-4 times. In movies, for example, Die Hard never seems to get old or tired for me. Same with The Final Countdown and The Long Good Friday. TV-wise, certain — but not all — episodes of The Twilight Zone. And Dennis Potter’s two groundbreaking serials: Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective are immortal. Those are just a few examples. But the total wouldn’t be as many as I think if I were to compile a list.

I wonder if I’m the only one who feels this way? I’m beginning to think a service such as Hulu is now a very good idea. Throw the repeats up on the Net. Let me watch them with ad breaks. I get it for free whenever I want it, you make money — and I also won’t have to hoard more stuff and weight to lug around.

Mumbai: S.A.S.-Like Counter-Attack

Massacre in Mumbai: Up to SEVEN gunmen were British and ‘came from same area as 7/7 bombers’

Around 20 masked officers had raided the centre this morning, dropping from helicopters onto the roof, in an operation dubbed Operation Black Tornado.

Time for me to repeat a favorite video of mine, from the movie The Final Option:

Previously here:

God Bless The S.A.S.!

More About Bond. James Bond.

A second viewing of Quantum of Solace — this one after seeing Casino Royale — made everything clearer. The first time I saw it, I didn’t know about the Vesper Lynd story.

I can see this is at least a trilogy of movies now.

Bond got information about Quantum from the Economic Hitman who was killed in the desert as well as Vesper Lynd’s phony boyfriend.

The next movie is Bond Goes Wild On Quantum’s Ass.

I did, of course, make up that title.

Writer Anthony Neil Smith isn’t fond of the new James Bond.

One point I agree with him about:

WE DON’T LIKE HYPER-FAST EDITING, YOU HOLLYWOOD MORONS!

I call it abusive editing — because it makes me feel like I’m being slapped around!

Previously here:

James Bond Vs. James Bond
Reference: James Bond Timeline
The Name’s Grim. James Grim.