celebrities
Top celebrities in the field of science and science fiction like Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Elon Musk.
Al Hirschfeld's Legendary 'Star Trek' Illustrations
Iconic illustrator Al Hirschfeld was drawn to Star Trek. His first vision of the classic Star Trek came at the behest of TV Guide who commissioned him in 1966 to be part of a review of the premiere. The Image was of Kirk and Spock holding ray guns and what looks like a fluorescent lightbulb. Hirschfeld Hirschfeld said his contribution was to "take the character, created by the playwright, script or portrayed by the actor, and reinvent it for the reader".
By Frank White9 years ago in Futurism
To Preserve a Demon
Writer/editor Jason Davis has a special ambition -- to catalog, digitize, edit, correct, annotate and re-publish (or publish for the first time, in some cases) all of Harlan Ellison's writings. Twenty-six four-foot-wide drawers of typescripts, over 100 feet of paper if stacked, the lifework of a man who is easily one of the most influential and cantankerous authors of the 20th century. Jason is spearheading the Harlan Ellison Books Preservation Project, a grand undertaking "To create definitive versions of all Harlan Ellison's writings, fiction and non-fiction, to preserve in print for posterity."
By Joshua Sky9 years ago in Futurism
Sci-Fi Casting That Almost Happened - 'Star Trek' Edition
Our favorite TV shows and movies and the iconic characters who populate them effectively carry us away on captivating adventures. We connect to them as an audience on many emotional levels. Often, they’re more than mere entertainment or a simple distraction. We grow up watching them as wide eyed kids, discover them in high school or maybe while living off at college. Show casts can feel as if they’re part of our own family. Soon we find that those casts of actors and actresses become a part of our collective pop culture experience, one we share with family and friends. With a TV show and movie franchise as established and beloved as StarTrek, the casting becomes all the more essential and memorable.
By Will Stape9 years ago in Futurism
Most Influential Female Sci-Fi Authors
Science fiction is traditionally a boys club. Men have dominated the genre for years, and it wasn't until the second wave of feminism in the 60s that more and more female sci-fi authors began to be recognized. Women like Madeleine L'Engle, Octavia Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin were just a few to break out into the sci-fi scene with a vengeance. Their novels and short stories have inspired women of all ages to enter the science fiction and fantasy genres and demand to be respected as equals, and the exceptional authors they are. The women who make up the list of the most influential female sci-fi authors will continue to lead a generation of women to create award-worthy work for years to come.
By Danielle Banner9 years ago in Futurism
Carl Sagan Inspired Curiosity
Carl Sagan's enthusiasm and ability to convey ideas, such as humanity's place in the universe against the backdrop of a cosmic scale, inspired countless people to pursue their own curiosity. As the author of more than 600 scientific papers, editor of more than 20 books, and creator of Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, Sagan worked tirelessly to push science into the spotlight. He advocated heavily for scientific skeptical inquiry, pioneered exobiology, and promoted the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). The name Sagan is inseparable from the word "curious."
By George Gott9 years ago in Futurism
Star Trek Voyager's Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman maintains a reputation as one of our hottest and no holds barred comedians. She’s the gal with the chuckles, plus a definite point of view. With an attitude and an act ranging from no limits brashness to speculating on the very origins of the human race, Silverman’s comedy holds something outrageous or just plain out there for everyone. She’s now firmly ranked in the same rarified female, funny air as Kathy Griffin, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Ellen DeGeneres, and Roseanne Barr. Silverman is well known as a funny lady now, but back in the 90s, she was a serious scientist! Though only guest starring in a two part episode, she became an active part of UPN’s Star Trek: Voyager’s crew, as she fought the evil Ed Begley Jr!
By Will Stape9 years ago in Futurism
Best Actors for a Dune Reboot
Frank Herbert’s Dune is one of the most celebrated science fiction novels of all time. A novel of dense political intrigue, plus giant space worms, Herbert’s vision has stumbled in the attempts to bring it to the big screen. After many attempts to adapt the book stalled, including on from post-modern director Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dune was finally adapted by Blue Velvet director David Lynch. The film did poorly, receiving savage reviews and pitiful takings at the box office, with noted film critic Roger Ebery giving the film an embarrassing Dune one star out of four stating, "This movie is a real mess, an incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time.” The casting choices were iffy at best with the bewildering choice of Sting as The na-Baron Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen as the peak of its failure. There is little question that modern technology and directors could make a far better adaptation of Dune, but who are the best actors for a Dune reboot?
By Futurism Staff9 years ago in Futurism
